Random complaint: I have been handy about the house since I was a kid, and have been fixing up old houses since 1998. I used to work for a company that specialized in old house restoration, I used to co-own a company that specialized in vintage hardware, and have done work on at least a dozen old houses. I specialized in vintage plumbing, but I am also fluent with electrical, framing, and basic finish carpentry. I can lay tile, and have taught others to lay tile. I used to, naively, think that the reason people invariably talk to me like I have no idea what I'm doing was because I was young. As I got older I thought they were underestimating my age, and therefore my experience. Now that I'm all old and gray-haired, it's impossible to ignore that it's just my vagina that leads people to talk to me like I am clueless and helpless around home improvement.

I'm so, so fucking sick of it.

In general, I'm sick of being talked to like I'm incompetent just because I'm female.

In general, I'm fucking sick of people underestimating women just because we have tits and vaginas.

My own household is an egalitarian dream, but as soon as I interact with people outside of our little paradise, it's back to being talked to like I'm a retarded version of a man.

I am horrified that this is the world I'm sending my daughters out into; a world where, by virtue of their sex, they will be treated as nincompoops by default.

Fuck all of this bullshit.

That sounds frustrating.... and like you've just volunteered to bounce questions off on building a house which is something I know nothing about barring a couple of weeks of reading, and scares the shit out of me.

Random complaint: I have been handy about the house since I was a kid, and have been fixing up old houses since 1998. I used to work for a company that specialized in old house restoration, I used to co-own a company that specialized in vintage hardware, and have done work on at least a dozen old houses. I specialized in vintage plumbing, but I am also fluent with electrical, framing, and basic finish carpentry. I can lay tile, and have taught others to lay tile. I used to, naively, think that the reason people invariably talk to me like I have no idea what I'm doing was because I was young. As I got older I thought they were underestimating my age, and therefore my experience. Now that I'm all old and gray-haired, it's impossible to ignore that it's just my vagina that leads people to talk to me like I am clueless and helpless around home improvement.

I'm so, so fucking sick of it.

In general, I'm sick of being talked to like I'm incompetent just because I'm female.

In general, I'm fucking sick of people underestimating women just because we have tits and vaginas.

My own household is an egalitarian dream, but as soon as I interact with people outside of our little paradise, it's back to being talked to like I'm a retarded version of a man.

I am horrified that this is the world I'm sending my daughters out into; a world where, by virtue of their sex, they will be treated as nincompoops by default.

Fuck all of this bullshit.

have you considered the possibility that people talk to you like you're an idiot, not because of your gender, but rather - most everybody is an idiot?

not saying that's the case - but, you know - it's possible . . .

I might buy it if men were talked to the same way, but on average they are not. For example, people rarely second-guess men's firsthand experiences, or suggest to them that they are merely so inobservant that they are completely misinterpreting their own experiences and observations.

Random complaint: I have been handy about the house since I was a kid, and have been fixing up old houses since 1998. I used to work for a company that specialized in old house restoration, I used to co-own a company that specialized in vintage hardware, and have done work on at least a dozen old houses. I specialized in vintage plumbing, but I am also fluent with electrical, framing, and basic finish carpentry. I can lay tile, and have taught others to lay tile. I used to, naively, think that the reason people invariably talk to me like I have no idea what I'm doing was because I was young. As I got older I thought they were underestimating my age, and therefore my experience. Now that I'm all old and gray-haired, it's impossible to ignore that it's just my vagina that leads people to talk to me like I am clueless and helpless around home improvement.

I'm so, so fucking sick of it.

In general, I'm sick of being talked to like I'm incompetent just because I'm female.

In general, I'm fucking sick of people underestimating women just because we have tits and vaginas.

My own household is an egalitarian dream, but as soon as I interact with people outside of our little paradise, it's back to being talked to like I'm a retarded version of a man.

I am horrified that this is the world I'm sending my daughters out into; a world where, by virtue of their sex, they will be treated as nincompoops by default.

Fuck all of this bullshit.

have you considered the possibility that people talk to you like you're an idiot, not because of your gender, but rather - most everybody is an idiot?

Random complaint: I have been handy about the house since I was a kid, and have been fixing up old houses since 1998. I used to work for a company that specialized in old house restoration, I used to co-own a company that specialized in vintage hardware, and have done work on at least a dozen old houses. I specialized in vintage plumbing, but I am also fluent with electrical, framing, and basic finish carpentry. I can lay tile, and have taught others to lay tile. I used to, naively, think that the reason people invariably talk to me like I have no idea what I'm doing was because I was young. As I got older I thought they were underestimating my age, and therefore my experience. Now that I'm all old and gray-haired, it's impossible to ignore that it's just my vagina that leads people to talk to me like I am clueless and helpless around home improvement.

I'm so, so fucking sick of it.

In general, I'm sick of being talked to like I'm incompetent just because I'm female.

In general, I'm fucking sick of people underestimating women just because we have tits and vaginas.

My own household is an egalitarian dream, but as soon as I interact with people outside of our little paradise, it's back to being talked to like I'm a retarded version of a man.

I am horrified that this is the world I'm sending my daughters out into; a world where, by virtue of their sex, they will be treated as nincompoops by default.

Fuck all of this bullshit.

That sounds frustrating.... and like you've just volunteered to bounce questions off on building a house which is something I know nothing about barring a couple of weeks of reading, and scares the shit out of me.

I'm happy to answer any questions I can about anything I have experience with. Home improvement is both tiresome and incredibly gratifying.

I noticed my sink had a mild dripping leak last night, so I decided to do something about it. I'm happy to say after an hour's work it now has a much more severe leak.

So yeah anything you want to ask let me know, Faust.

When I have a leak I have essentially gotten to the point where I just automatically replace everything from the drain to the wall. Trying to fix used drain lines that aren't working anymore is guaranteed to take at least six times longer than just replacing them, and you'll end up replacing them in the end anyway. If you just start from "Shit, gotta replace everything" at least you'll be prepared to spend the $30 up front and then you can just enjoy the rest of your weekend instead of making innumerable trips to the hardware store and spending $15 on fix-it shit that won't work, and THEN spending $30 on a new drain and P-trap.

I have bypassed the problem but to properly fix it I think we're going to have to fully replace it. I don't think my DIY skills are up to redoing a bathroom unfortunately.

On the other hand, one of my key skills is ignoring small problems until they become big ones so I can probably get another six months at least out of the hose valve I added before it or my girlfriend finally gives in.

I have bypassed the problem but to properly fix it I think we're going to have to fully replace it. I don't think my DIY skills are up to redoing a bathroom unfortunately.

On the other hand, one of my key skills is ignoring small problems until they become big ones so I can probably get another six months at least out of the hose valve I added before it or my girlfriend finally gives in.

You probably just need a new stem valve gasket, depending on the age of the shower. They're super easy to replace.

Unrelated to anything, I just learned that our facilities department is abbreviated FAPAIM. I don't know what it stands for, but FAPAIM sent me a confirmation email for my request to have our hazardous waste removed.

"Schlep" - to haul, or carry; usually awkwardly or laborious"coyote" - slang term for someone who transports undocumented immigrants over the Mexico-US border, typically cruelly and/or with ill intent.

That's one place I would really like to visit. There's a big bio conference being held there this year that I'll be expected to attend starting next year (when I have results from my experiment currently in progress), but of course next year it's in San Francisco (lame!) and I have no idea when it'll be in New Orleans again. Boo!

So, I've been spending some time on a couple of stand-alone forums that cater to the right, as a "know your enemy" thing.

I have seriously never heard so much whinging in my life. They cry because Hollywood doesn't like them. They cry because Disney isn't Ayn Rand enough for them. They cry because Black men date white women. They cry because nobody gets their alt-right philosophy and/or political views. They cry because Trump won and liberals won't "respect" him. Also because THEY WON but NOTHING CHANGED.

But the best part is what happens when a person takes one step off the reservation for any reason. One guy brought up the fact that the ocean level is unequivocally rising, and they descended on him like rabid seagulls. He was a 4 year member, and they drove him off in less than 2 days, and apparently doxxed him for good measure. This is a board with about 70 active (every day active) members, and about 200 occasionally-active people.

...Arguing with Idiot eric about whether brother nihil has set it on fire or not. Eric's choking but pretty sure there is no fire. RP has proof from RT.com that fire raped a heap of kids in indonesia and has an email to prove it. Brother Nihil can't read and in a fit of self loathing sets himself on fire before complaining it hurts. Eric can't move to put him out because we're still not sure fire exists. RP gently pisses on Nihil and admits the room feels a little warm. As Nihil slowly smoulders to death he causes the other occupants in the facility to need to evacuate while Eric and RP insist this is over-reacting and the whole place is fine.

...Arguing with Idiot eric about whether brother nihil has set it on fire or not. Eric's choking but pretty sure there is no fire. RP has proof from RT.com that fire raped a heap of kids in indonesia and has an email to prove it. Brother Nihil can't read and in a fit of self loathing sets himself on fire before complaining it hurts. Eric can't move to put him out because we're still not sure fire exists. RP gently pisses on Nihil and admits the room feels a little warm. As Nihil slowly smoulders to death he causes the other occupants in the facility to need to evacuate while Eric and RP insist this is over-reacting and the whole place is fine.

"Schlep" - to haul, or carry; usually awkwardly or laborious"coyote" - slang term for someone who transports undocumented immigrants over the Mexico-US border, typically cruelly and/or with ill intent.

"Schlep" - to haul, or carry; usually awkwardly or laborious"coyote" - slang term for someone who transports undocumented immigrants over the Mexico-US border, typically cruelly and/or with ill intent.

Congratulations on surviving 2016, we should probably take a census soon and make sure everyone else escaped it's clutches. Things not too bad, roger is doing a survival guide for the coming current weird times. Otherwise everything else is quiet, everyone counting down the dread to the 20th.

I'll have to check that out. Also how to figure out this Tapatalk thing. Almost done with college--next semester is my last of I don't fuck anything up. I probably won't, since it's all biology courses with the exception of physics II. Have to apply to PhD programs in the next couple of months. Moving in with Villager after I graduate, actually, so I'm doing somewhat of a slow move where I bring over some stuff and leave it there every weekend.

Hoopla! I am absolutely ENGORGED with envy of your Canadianness right now!

There's a whole lot more I want to say here but I'm actually afraid to put it in writing on the internet. So that's the kind of country we are now. I am actually having trouble typing because I am literally crying and shaking with rage right this second.

I'm still alive, firstly, and on winter break so I figured I'd drop in and say hello to everyone. How's it going?

Sent from my SM-J700T using Tapatalk

So far, so good: I am getting over a nasty bout with a cold that went into my lungmeat, and Alty and I have almost accomplished our goal for Winter Break, remodeling the bathroom. It's nice to see you around these parts!

Hoopla! I am absolutely ENGORGED with envy of your Canadianness right now!

There's a whole lot more I want to say here but I'm actually afraid to put it in writing on the internet. So that's the kind of country we are now. I am actually having trouble typing because I am literally crying and shaking with rage right this second.

Oh shit, dude. I hope that whatever it is, it's not something too bad. :( Although, what with being also a m ember of this society, I am guessing that it's something shitty and pervasive and getting worse.

I was spending a little time yesterday thinking about how completely insane it is that human beings invented currency to act as a representation of real resources, and then essentially immediately commenced destroying real resources as rapidly as possible in order to amass the largest amount of currency. Literally; the destruction of the rail system and development of the highway system was entirely about figuring out ways to sell more oil to people to unnecessarily burn in exchange for currency. Same with basically all other real resources. That oil would probably have come in real handy, metered out judiciously over the next 1000 years... but nope, we had to get it out of the ground and burn it as fast as we could, for "the economy".

This, in a nutshell, is why, if there are spacefaring intelligent animals from other planets, we will never meet them. It's not like we're going to see them before they see us, and if they see us, they're definitely going to put us in quarantine, for a variety of ethical reasons.

Well, I think I asked to speak to so many supervisors that the CEO was ultimately handling my complaint.

They were contacting me by email. They were having me run endless series of tests which, by their own admission, were useless. Finally, 5 weeks after it began, they sent a guy out, who resolved the issue (which was with their on-site server) in 10 minutes.

Well, I think I asked to speak to so many supervisors that the CEO was ultimately handling my complaint.

They were contacting me by email. They were having me run endless series of tests which, by their own admission, were useless. Finally, 5 weeks after it began, they sent a guy out, who resolved the issue (which was with their on-site server) in 10 minutes.

Hoopla! I am absolutely ENGORGED with envy of your Canadianness right now!

There's a whole lot more I want to say here but I'm actually afraid to put it in writing on the internet. So that's the kind of country we are now. I am actually having trouble typing because I am literally crying and shaking with rage right this second.

Oh shit, dude. I hope that whatever it is, it's not something too bad. :( Although, what with being also a m ember of this society, I am guessing that it's something shitty and pervasive and getting worse.

ECHGF and mini-ECH are both gonna lose their health insurance because of those fucking snakes in skin suits in DC. I can put them both on mine easily enough. The kid is free and I can add ECHGF for $25 a month. I'm fortunate to have a great union job with ridiculously great benefits.

BUT.

Doing that will most likely cost ECHGF her financial aid, as I understand things. So we'll be fortunate enough that we'll be able to keep scraping by and I know a whole lot of people aren't all that certain about being able to do that and I'm thankful. But that'll be the end of our dreams of maybe sniffing the tail end of the middle-class 5 or 6 years from now and I'm more than a little salty about that given how hard I've been working to make that possible by making sure I bring in enough by myself to keep us afloat financially so she can focus on school.

That, and the much more general part where I woke up in a country that just did that to, like, 20+ million people and where I'm suddenly actually kind of reticent to publicly make a crack about how I hope I live long enough to find myself in the same room with Mitch McConnell and Paul Ryan for a few minutes so I can show them what it's like to desperately need access to health care and have it be denied to you by some fucking psychopath.

Hoopla! I am absolutely ENGORGED with envy of your Canadianness right now!

There's a whole lot more I want to say here but I'm actually afraid to put it in writing on the internet. So that's the kind of country we are now. I am actually having trouble typing because I am literally crying and shaking with rage right this second.

Oh shit, dude. I hope that whatever it is, it's not something too bad. :( Although, what with being also a m ember of this society, I am guessing that it's something shitty and pervasive and getting worse.

ECHGF and mini-ECH are both gonna lose their health insurance because of those fucking snakes in skin suits in DC. I can put them both on mine easily enough. The kid is free and I can add ECHGF for $25 a month. I'm fortunate to have a great union job with ridiculously great benefits.

BUT.

Doing that will most likely cost ECHGF her financial aid, as I understand things. So we'll be fortunate enough that we'll be able to keep scraping by and I know a whole lot of people aren't all that certain about being able to do that and I'm thankful. But that'll be the end of our dreams of maybe sniffing the tail end of the middle-class 5 or 6 years from now and I'm more than a little salty about that given how hard I've been working to make that possible by making sure I bring in enough by myself to keep us afloat financially so she can focus on school.

That, and the much more general part where I woke up in a country that just did that to, like, 20+ million people and where I'm suddenly actually kind of reticent to publicly make a crack about how I hope I live long enough to find myself in the same room with Mitch McConnell and Paul Ryan for a few minutes so I can show them what it's like to desperately need access to health care and have it be denied to you by some fucking psychopath.

Whoa, why will it cost her her financial aid? She should NOT give up school, for anything. Also, yeah, FUCK those bureaucrats. It's bullshit. Healthcare is no fucking joke.

Remember, guys, if you stayed home to work and catch up on bills while your family went on vacation to Europe for a month then when they get home you need to be respectful of how rough they've had it and you need to stay up for 3 days straight with a jet-lagged baby so princess can get her fucking beauty sleep because vacations are tough, man.

I seriously feel like my head is coming apart at the seams. I don't know who's running this simulation but this iteration kind of sucks.

Remember, guys, if you stayed home to work and catch up on bills while your family went on vacation to Europe for a month then when they get home you need to be respectful of how rough they've had it and you need to stay up for 3 days straight with a jet-lagged baby so princess can get her fucking beauty sleep because vacations are tough, man.

I seriously feel like my head is coming apart at the seams. I don't know who's running this simulation but this iteration kind of sucks.

The first three years are super hard because of the sleep thing. Hang in there and try not to make any major decisions until she's four.

Also, your wife went on a vacation to Europe alone with a baby? That's insane. The flight alone is brutal WITHOUT a baby. What the fuck, dude, that sounds like a special kind of torture.

Her mom and stepdad live in Germany so she had plenty of help with the baby once she was there. And there's a direct flight from Seattle to Frankfurt that's only 10 hours, so it's as not-awful as it can be as far as flying overseas with a baby.

I can't speak for others, but I hate going on trips with the boy. It's easier now that he's almost 8 and fiercely independent. Still, I've done that direct flight to Frankfurt and, with a baby, it sounds like a nightmare. Every trip I have ever taken with the boy/his brother has resulted in my needing recovery time. The last time, Hawaii, we were there for a week, my family was mostly awful, except for my sister and mother, and I spent a month feeling shaky and freaked out. I would have done a lot better if I hadn't had to worry about wrangling a 5 year old, and if I had had some weed. Trips without weed are the worst. Then again, my stress-response is generally fucked.

Actually, I am supposed to go to Germany this summer and am dreading the lack of weed. They have it there, sure, but I don't really have any sources. Except for my cousin S. who just got busted by his own brother, my good-for-nothing spoiled-ass other cousin O. for petty bullshit. Now S. can't get any of the very lucrative jobs he qualified for, forever.

Yeah, in retrospect I might have been a little harsh. We haven't exactly been a hotbed of domestic harmony lately and it really has very little to do with the stresses of having a child. If there wasn't the child I might have already reached the point of "fuck this shit" but she's an absolutely wonderful mother so that goes a long way.

Yeah, in retrospect I might have been a little harsh. We haven't exactly been a hotbed of domestic harmony lately and it really has very little to do with the stresses of having a child. If there wasn't the child I might have already reached the point of "fuck this shit" but she's an absolutely wonderful mother so that goes a long way.

That counts for a whole lot.

My unsolicited advice: babies rob you of your domestic harmony, as well as all resources, time, and energy. The reality is, all that shit take a backseat to the baby, whether you want it to or not. Babies take all those feelings of love for the other person and use them to make more poop and grow bigger. This is natural and normal. Until your kid hits 5, it's going to be like that, so embrace it, make friends with it, make a happy sacrifice, if at all possible.

I am confident you'll find your way in this, no matter what way that is.

Maybe, and I hope I am not out of line here, but maybe some of the harshness comes from feelings of guilt?

It's OK to get mad at the situation you're in. I get mad at my situation all the time, and it's basically perfect. That comes from years and years of fucking up and getting fucked over. Therapy has definitely helped me not fuck myself up, I am extremely grateful for it.

I just read a thread in the youtube comments section where 30 people were trying to tell a guy who'd gone off his depression meds for personal reasons what depression is and how depression meds work. I was torn between amusement and slapping them with science, and didn't comment.

So, I've started going cross-eyed and having double vision. Been like that for some time now, when I'm tired. Lately, it's been like it ALL THE TIME.

Went to the doctor's on Thursday to check it out. Was sent promptly to the neurologic department at the hospital. Was there until last night. Had all sorts of tests performed on my head. And a spinal tap. They had to try it three times. It was the absolutely worst thing I've ever experienced in my life, physically.

Nothing wrong with my head/brain tough. Waiting for an appointment at the eye specialist.

So, I've started going cross-eyed and having double vision. Been like that for some time now, when I'm tired. Lately, it's been like it ALL THE TIME.

Went to the doctor's on Thursday to check it out. Was sent promptly to the neurologic department at the hospital. Was there until last night. Had all sorts of tests performed on my head. And a spinal tap. They had to try it three times. It was the absolutely worst thing I've ever experienced in my life, physically.

Nothing wrong with my head/brain tough. Waiting for an appointment at the eye specialist.

Just got a call from my Irish cousin who lives in Connecticut. Turns out my father (who still lives in the UK) used a rather inefficient method of sending 400 Pound Sterling to me and my sister through multiple relatives who were travelling in the general direction of New England. I'm meeting my cousin in town (she's going to be in Boston anyway) on Wednesday. I think it pretty much clinches me going to Ireland this summer. I can't take the money and not put it towards airfare.

Eveery time I've heard someone mention Are You Afraid of the Dark?, the episode with the pool is always, always, ALWAYS mentioned as the one that fucked them up the most, because that was a hellaciously fucked up episode. That show was supposed to be for kids?

Eveery time I've heard someone mention Are You Afraid of the Dark?, the episode with the pool is always, always, ALWAYS mentioned as the one that fucked them up the most, because that was a hellaciously fucked up episode. That show was supposed to be for kids?

I absolutely love Are You Afraid Of The Dark?. The episode that messed me up the most as a kid was the Tale of the Shiny Red Bicycle, the one about the kid's friend who got trapped in a river, drowned, and then haunted him. That episode is why I'm apprehensive around dams.

Funny enough though, a while back I watched the episode again to see if it was as scary as I remembered it, and it's actually a nice story about friendship.

Have you watched R.L. Stine's A Haunting Hour? A lot of the episodes come close to being on the same level as AYAOTD. Some of the episodes are generic kid/teen horror, but a lot of them have fantastic/scary fridge logic that left me with the same impresion as AYAOTD, as far as not believing they'd do that in a kid's/teen's show.

Eveery time I've heard someone mention Are You Afraid of the Dark?, the episode with the pool is always, always, ALWAYS mentioned as the one that fucked them up the most, because that was a hellaciously fucked up episode. That show was supposed to be for kids?

I absolutely love Are You Afraid Of The Dark?. The episode that messed me up the most as a kid was the Tale of the Shiny Red Bicycle, the one about the kid's friend who got trapped in a river, drowned, and then haunted him. That episode is why I'm apprehensive around dams.

Funny enough though, a while back I watched the episode again to see if it was as scary as I remembered it, and it's actually a nice story about friendship.

Have you watched R.L. Stine's A Haunting Hour? A lot of the episodes come close to being on the same level as AYAOTD. Some of the episodes are generic kid/teen horror, but a lot of them have fantastic/scary fridge logic that left me with the same impresion as AYAOTD, as far as not believing they'd do that in a kid's/teen's show.

I, uh, tend to avoid scary shit. It wasn't until a few years ago that I could watch a scary movie without throwing up, but I still get the paranoia of "WHAT IF THAT SHIT IS REAL IM NEVER SLEEPING AGAIN EVER" even though I know better. At least for the genuinely scary stuff. I can get through the hokey things.

I've only ever seen 3 movies that I actually considered scary, and Poltergeist doesn't really hold up when you watch it again now.

Play Misty For Me is my sleeper pick for HOLY FUCK TERRIFYING, possibly (probably) because of a lifetime of ignoring Rule #3.

But the scariest movie of all time? Fuck you if you don't think Aliens is some paralyzingly frightening shit. I saw that movie in the theater when it came out (I was 9 and my mom thought I was seeing some dumb kid movie) and I swear I didn't sleep with the lights off for a week. And it's the only movie that's possibly gotten even scarier as I get older because there are so many LAYERS of horror there and the best ones aren't even comprehensible to a little kid.

I've only ever seen 3 movies that I actually considered scary, and Poltergeist doesn't really hold up when you watch it again now.

Play Misty For Me is my sleeper pick for HOLY FUCK TERRIFYING, possibly (probably) because of a lifetime of ignoring Rule #3.

But the scariest movie of all time? Fuck you if you don't think Aliens is some paralyzingly frightening shit. I saw that movie in the theater when it came out (I was 9 and my mom thought I was seeing some dumb kid movie) and I swear I didn't sleep with the lights off for a week. And it's the only movie that's possibly gotten even scarier as I get older because there are so many LAYERS of horror there and the best ones aren't even comprehensible to a little kid.

I've never heard of Play Misty For Me, but I'm definitely going to check it out. I'm always up for anything that might scare me. Thank you for bringing the film to my attention!

I was disabling my webcam just now in the device manager, and found an entry called "Unknown Device." I disabled it, and nothing happened. Then I uninstalled it and nothing continued to happen. WTF?The real question is if it was really there in the first place.

I've only ever seen 3 movies that I actually considered scary, and Poltergeist doesn't really hold up when you watch it again now.

Play Misty For Me is my sleeper pick for HOLY FUCK TERRIFYING, possibly (probably) because of a lifetime of ignoring Rule #3.

But the scariest movie of all time? Fuck you if you don't think Aliens is some paralyzingly frightening shit. I saw that movie in the theater when it came out (I was 9 and my mom thought I was seeing some dumb kid movie) and I swear I didn't sleep with the lights off for a week. And it's the only movie that's possibly gotten even scarier as I get older because there are so many LAYERS of horror there and the best ones aren't even comprehensible to a little kid.

Wait, Alien or Aliens? I fully agree that the first was a great horror movie. The second was always more of a sci-fi action flick to me. Not scary really, but great nonetheless.

For frightening space movies, I'll always have a soft spot for Event Horizon. Something about watching that just really creeped me out.

I've only ever seen 3 movies that I actually considered scary, and Poltergeist doesn't really hold up when you watch it again now.

Play Misty For Me is my sleeper pick for HOLY FUCK TERRIFYING, possibly (probably) because of a lifetime of ignoring Rule #3.

But the scariest movie of all time? Fuck you if you don't think Aliens is some paralyzingly frightening shit. I saw that movie in the theater when it came out (I was 9 and my mom thought I was seeing some dumb kid movie) and I swear I didn't sleep with the lights off for a week. And it's the only movie that's possibly gotten even scarier as I get older because there are so many LAYERS of horror there and the best ones aren't even comprehensible to a little kid.

Wait, Alien or Aliens? I fully agree that the first was a great horror movie. The second was always more of a sci-fi action flick to me. Not scary really, but great nonetheless.

For frightening space movies, I'll always have a soft spot for Event Horizon. Something about watching that just really creeped me out.

Alien was OK, but hardly scary.

Aliens is what I was talking about. Flat-out terrifying, in addition to being one of the 4 or 5 best movies ever made.

Event Horizon was terrifying when I saw it in the theater on several hits of LSD, but I found it didn't really hold up to rewatching.

I've only ever seen 3 movies that I actually considered scary, and Poltergeist doesn't really hold up when you watch it again now.

Play Misty For Me is my sleeper pick for HOLY FUCK TERRIFYING, possibly (probably) because of a lifetime of ignoring Rule #3.

But the scariest movie of all time? Fuck you if you don't think Aliens is some paralyzingly frightening shit. I saw that movie in the theater when it came out (I was 9 and my mom thought I was seeing some dumb kid movie) and I swear I didn't sleep with the lights off for a week. And it's the only movie that's possibly gotten even scarier as I get older because there are so many LAYERS of horror there and the best ones aren't even comprehensible to a little kid.

Wait, Alien or Aliens? I fully agree that the first was a great horror movie. The second was always more of a sci-fi action flick to me. Not scary really, but great nonetheless.

For frightening space movies, I'll always have a soft spot for Event Horizon. Something about watching that just really creeped me out.

Alien was OK, but hardly scary.

Aliens is what I was talking about. Flat-out terrifying, in addition to being one of the 4 or 5 best movies ever made.

Event Horizon was terrifying when I saw it in the theater on several hits of LSD, but I found it didn't really hold up to rewatching.

I, too, prefer political docudrama Aliens over its lighthearted feminist comedy predecessor Alien, since we're just being silly now.

Yeah, I get that everyone thinks the first one was a masterpiece but people are allowed to be wrong. It was good, but nothing special. It really took the second film to fully explore the horrors of not only the xenomorphs but of the inevitability of humanity's demise at the hands of its own greed.

If Star Trek is space socialism, the Alien quadrillogy is space libertarianism and that, I'm afraid, is the vastly more likely real-life future. And if that doesn't scare you, well, we're motivated by very different things I guess.

Yeah, I get that everyone thinks the first one was a masterpiece but people are allowed to be wrong. It was good, but nothing special. It really took the second film to fully explore the horrors of not only the xenomorphs but of the inevitability of humanity's demise at the hands of its own greed.

If Star Trek is space socialism, the Alien quadrillogy is space libertarianism and that, I'm afraid, is the vastly more likely real-life future. And if that doesn't scare you, well, we're motivated by very different things I guess.

No, I think the issue is that Alien is actually a horror film, while Aliens is an action film.

Yeah, I get that everyone thinks the first one was a masterpiece but people are allowed to be wrong. It was good, but nothing special. It really took the second film to fully explore the horrors of not only the xenomorphs but of the inevitability of humanity's demise at the hands of its own greed.

If Star Trek is space socialism, the Alien quadrillogy is space libertarianism and that, I'm afraid, is the vastly more likely real-life future. And if that doesn't scare you, well, we're motivated by very different things I guess.

Yeah, I get that everyone thinks the first one was a masterpiece but people are allowed to be wrong. It was good, but nothing special. It really took the second film to fully explore the horrors of not only the xenomorphs but of the inevitability of humanity's demise at the hands of its own greed.

If Star Trek is space socialism, the Alien quadrillogy is space libertarianism and that, I'm afraid, is the vastly more likely real-life future. And if that doesn't scare you, well, we're motivated by very different things I guess.

No, I think the issue is that Alien is actually a horror film, while Aliens is an action film.

Is there actually any issue at all? I am puzzled by the direction this conversation has taken, since it seems to have left the realm of reality and now appears to consist entirely of chest-thumping and ook-ook.

Yeah, I get that everyone thinks the first one was a masterpiece but people are allowed to be wrong. It was good, but nothing special. It really took the second film to fully explore the horrors of not only the xenomorphs but of the inevitability of humanity's demise at the hands of its own greed.

If Star Trek is space socialism, the Alien quadrillogy is space libertarianism and that, I'm afraid, is the vastly more likely real-life future. And if that doesn't scare you, well, we're motivated by very different things I guess.

No, I think the issue is that Alien is actually a horror film, while Aliens is an action film.

Yeah, I get that everyone thinks the first one was a masterpiece but people are allowed to be wrong. It was good, but nothing special. It really took the second film to fully explore the horrors of not only the xenomorphs but of the inevitability of humanity's demise at the hands of its own greed.

If Star Trek is space socialism, the Alien quadrillogy is space libertarianism and that, I'm afraid, is the vastly more likely real-life future. And if that doesn't scare you, well, we're motivated by very different things I guess.

No, I think the issue is that Alien is actually a horror film, while Aliens is an action film.

Because Predator is obviously the most terrifying Sci fi movie of all time due to the implication that this planet is a mere playground for far more intelligent and technologically advanced species.

Which reminds me how terrifying Aliens is as a propaganda piece for the military industrial complex.

If you like the feelings of suspense and constantly being hunted in alien, I would really suggest Alien Isolation: It's one of the best suspense/horror games I've ever played (even if it is just elaborate hide and seek with the alien) and the sound and feel of the game really gets the alien/aliens feel across.

Yeah, headphones on is the only way to play, the sound of metal falling in the distance, or steam valves around you, even the clicks of the retro 80's style computers. It's one of the few examples a game where sound is paramount and the graphics fall at the wayside.

4 days is sort of understandable. However I've never known, outside Scotland, snow to persist longer than 5 days in the countryside here. In London, it never even lasts to the next day. Yet everyone panic buys shit.

I skip the milk and bread aisle, and head straight to the bone-in pork roasts. If I'm going to be snowed in, it's gonna smell good in my house.

I appreciate this strategy.

Around here, milk, bread, fish, meat, and other short-turnover items are delivered to stores twice a week. When it snows, delivery is usually disrupted, so if you want any of these rapid-turnover perishables you had better get it before they run out, which will be soon because everyone else has the same idea. When we were at the store yesterday, the milk and fish cases were already empty.

Here's a hilarious update: Lysergic, not content with being a clock truther, now believes the Steele memo about Trump was faked by 4chan. Or at least the golden shower part. Despite the complete date disparity, and the fact that Steele was relying on Russian informants, not casually scoping out the latest /pol/ bullshit.

Here's a hilarious update: Lysergic, not content with being a clock truther, now believes the Steele memo about Trump was faked by 4chan. Or at least the golden shower part. Despite the complete date disparity, and the fact that Steele was relying on Russian informants, not casually scoping out the latest /pol/ bullshit.

I think Lysergic has decided that in order to preserve his dignity, he has to believe the exact opposite of what people who have embarrassed him in the past believe.

Lysergic is wrong. Basing your value system and beliefs on a reaction to the value system and beliefs of other people is exactly the same as following the herd; it's not based on thinking.

Here's a hilarious update: Lysergic, not content with being a clock truther, now believes the Steele memo about Trump was faked by 4chan. Or at least the golden shower part. Despite the complete date disparity, and the fact that Steele was relying on Russian informants, not casually scoping out the latest /pol/ bullshit.

Here's a hilarious update: Lysergic, not content with being a clock truther, now believes the Steele memo about Trump was faked by 4chan. Or at least the golden shower part. Despite the complete date disparity, and the fact that Steele was relying on Russian informants, not casually scoping out the latest /pol/ bullshit.

Here's a hilarious update: Lysergic, not content with being a clock truther, now believes the Steele memo about Trump was faked by 4chan. Or at least the golden shower part. Despite the complete date disparity, and the fact that Steele was relying on Russian informants, not casually scoping out the latest /pol/ bullshit.

what is a clock truther?

You know that kid who brought his clock into school and got arrested for it? People who believe he did it on purpose and for attention and/or he didn't build the clock himself.

Here's a hilarious update: Lysergic, not content with being a clock truther, now believes the Steele memo about Trump was faked by 4chan. Or at least the golden shower part. Despite the complete date disparity, and the fact that Steele was relying on Russian informants, not casually scoping out the latest /pol/ bullshit.

what is a clock truther?

You know that kid who brought his clock into school and got arrested for it? People who believe he did it on purpose and for attention and/or he didn't build the clock himself.

Oh, shit. That crap.

well, I have low expectations for anything that falls out of Lysergic's face.

Here's a hilarious update: Lysergic, not content with being a clock truther, now believes the Steele memo about Trump was faked by 4chan. Or at least the golden shower part. Despite the complete date disparity, and the fact that Steele was relying on Russian informants, not casually scoping out the latest /pol/ bullshit.

what is a clock truther?

You know that kid who brought his clock into school and got arrested for it? People who believe he did it on purpose and for attention and/or he didn't build the clock himself.

It was hilarious - in a terrible way - when Clock Truthers overran Reddit for like a month straight. They were so blatantly envious of him it was ridiculous.

All those poor, unrecognised child geniuses of Reddit. I cri evrytiem

I loved how the naysayers were all conflicted between whether a clock is super easy to build and therefore unimpressive, and whether a clock is too hard for a kid that age to build and therefore someone made it for him. They just could not get their shit together; all they knew was that there had to be SOME excuse for hating on the kid.

Was it ever conclusively determined if he built a clock, or just took one out of it's shell, and put it in a pencil box?

Does it matter in the fucking slightest? Usually when someone "builds a clock", they buy a pre-made clockwork and put it in something that will serve as a clock face. This is functionally almost exactly the same as taking a clockwork out of one clock face and putting it in another. Almost nobody builds clockworks from scratch anymore; sort of like how very few of the people who build guns actually machine any of their own parts.

A PDer of times gone by. We watched him undergo various stages of meth addiction, PUA addiction, libertarian fuckery, and conspiracy theories, and as a result of making a complete tool of himself over and over and over, he hates us.

So, last night, a guy (not one of our students) got jumped by a gang of five, including one with a weapon, right outside the building.

In addition to being terrible, this meant having about 12 police officers and 3 forensic scientists lurking outside the building, looking at our CCTV, trying to distinguish vomit from blood and other fun activities.

So, last night, a guy (not one of our students) got jumped by a gang of five, including one with a weapon, right outside the building.

In addition to being terrible, this meant having about 12 police officers and 3 forensic scientists lurking outside the building, looking at our CCTV, trying to distinguish vomit from blood and other fun activities.

The fuck, Cain. Your neighborhood... it sounds like it would fill gang members from East Oakland with confusion and terror.

Nah, the guy didn't have a gun or anything. The weapon in question did look like an improvised flail though...wooden handle and what looks like leather strips on the CCTV. Not 100% on that, but I suspect with 4 other guys pummeling him, it didn't make much difference.

Nah, the guy didn't have a gun or anything. The weapon in question did look like an improvised flail though...wooden handle and what looks like leather strips on the CCTV. Not 100% on that, but I suspect with 4 other guys pummeling him, it didn't make much difference.

Weaponry in London is weird. With the gun ban, you have the usual knives, bottles and occasionally baseball bats (though since baseball isn't popular here, police tend to pick up on it). But then you have the guys with replica katanas and rapiers, lighters and aerosol, lathi and zoot sticks...

Weaponry in London is weird. With the gun ban, you have the usual knives, bottles and occasionally baseball bats (though since baseball isn't popular here, police tend to pick up on it). But then you have the guys with replica katanas and rapiers, lighters and aerosol, lathi and zoot sticks...

It's actually an American term. We probably have another charming term for it, but basically it's a 2x4 with razor blades planted in it. It's name comes from its use in the Zoot Suit Riots (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zoot_Suit_Riots), where it was used primarly by anti-Mexican gangs and off duty riot police officers.

I've actually been reading The Big Nowhere lately, the prequel to LA Confidential, and the serial killer in the book uses a zoot stick. The whole plot is bound up in the Sleepy Lagoon murder (linked to the Zoot Suit Riots), corruption in the LAPD, racism and anti-Communist hysteria. So typical Ellroy.

Which is, also to be fair, not usually home to the degree of dick-waving I expect to see everywhere else on Peedee.

The dick-waving quotient increases by about 748% any time Thwack decides to grace us with his presence. He's still PeeDee-ing like it's 2006.

What can I say, sometimes elements of times past should return. There is a lot to be said for not taking yourself too seriously, and there are some here that really need to remember that.

No argument there, it's just that experience shows us that the people who tend to self-appoint themselves for that task are usually in that category themselves.

Plus there's something kind of amazingly self-absorbed about someone who goes around trying to knock people down a peg or two for... what? Not being funny enough? Dance, monkeys, dance! Had a rough year? Not in a jolly mood? I DON'T CARE, LIGHTEN UP AND ENTERTAIN ME ME ME ME ME ME!

I have income again. It's enough to scrape by, consulting for an NGO on the East coast. Best part is, I can keep the position when I find something more lucrative, since this takes about 8 hours/week, working remotely.

I have income again. It's enough to scrape by, consulting for an NGO on the East coast. Best part is, I can keep the position when I find something more lucrative, since this takes about 8 hours/week, working remotely.

That's awesome, but hold up a second...

You can make enough money to scrape by working only 8 hours a week? Fuck, man, I'm so in the wrong line of work.

For example, I finished work Sunday morning. Slept 4 hours until 1230, then stayed awake until 1500 the next day, slept for 4 hours that night, then slept another 5 hours from around 0600 in the morning, then yesterday I slept from 0400 until 1230 again.

I have income again. It's enough to scrape by, consulting for an NGO on the East coast. Best part is, I can keep the position when I find something more lucrative, since this takes about 8 hours/week, working remotely.

That's awesome, but hold up a second...

You can make enough money to scrape by working only 8 hours a week? Fuck, man, I'm so in the wrong line of work.

I almost forgot I have to let my interns in, and was 40 minutes late because of nothing going quite right.

Water is leaking into the basement levels. My lab is in B2.

My dad, who has dementia, isn't getting along with my brother and wants to move into our basement, which is also flooded, so I had a chat with him today. He was not thrilled about my insistence that first he has to look at the space, and THEN we have to sit down together with the brother he lives with, the brother whose name is on all his properties, one of my sisters, and my cousin to hash out his living arrangements.

After that phone call, maintenance showed up, and determined that the main drains on the east side of the building are clogged "with something dead", and that we can't use the plumbing until it's removed.

Appropriately, it now smells like a corpse-filled sewer in the science building. I'll be here until 8 (with forays to nearby buildings to use the bathroom).

Last week, I discovered six people listed as away who had actually returned. Sent slightly sarcastic email. Found several things wrong with rooms, lists, signing in forms and other things, which I ranted at my manager about, knowing full well he wouldn't do anything about it.

Today I come in, and find he has emailed a complaint about my being one number out on a medication count (of several hundred pills). Public email, to the whole department. Slight problem...I counted what the student took and deducted that from the number in the book.

So fire lists etc, not important at all, but HOLY SHIT CAIN WAS (NOT) OFF BY ONE PILL IN A COUNT, BETTER SEND AN EMAIL CALLING HIM OUT RIGHT AWAY.

Oh, and a student of mine is probably getting expelled or suspended. I don't know what for though because no-one thought to include me in the private message that says what happened. I'm only here 4 nights a week, why would I need to know anything?

Last week, I discovered six people listed as away who had actually returned. Sent slightly sarcastic email. Found several things wrong with rooms, lists, signing in forms and other things, which I ranted at my manager about, knowing full well he wouldn't do anything about it.

Today I come in, and find he has emailed a complaint about my being one number out on a medication count (of several hundred pills). Public email, to the whole department. Slight problem...I counted what the student took and deducted that from the number in the book.

So fire lists etc, not important at all, but HOLY SHIT CAIN WAS (NOT) OFF BY ONE PILL IN A COUNT, BETTER SEND AN EMAIL CALLING HIM OUT RIGHT AWAY.

Oh, and a student of mine is probably getting expelled or suspended. I don't know what for though because no-one thought to include me in the private message that says what happened. I'm only here 4 nights a week, why would I need to know anything?

Jesus, that place is a shitshow. It's like they said to themselves, how can we make it almost impossible for any essential staff to do their job properly? Let's do that.

Today, my co-worker was called while she was in a Uni lecture because our manager couldn't find a master key and thought she took it. 2 weeks ago, the department head made a note on our handovers that he was taking a master key for himself. That was the key he thought was missing. I should note, this is the manager that insists he get the handover printed on a daily basis for him, despite it also being emailed to him daily.

Also, I reported way back in November 18 that a particular room was fire hazard levels of mess. What did my manager tell me? "Leave it with me". Now, 7 weeks later, the issue has still not been resolved. and he has had to report the kid to his college.

Well, a land war in Europe and a global economic collapse sound pretty bad. The UK's nuclear deterrent is worthless with an American president compromised by Russian intelligence. France is the other major military NATO power, complete with decades of combat experience and an independent nuclear arsenal.

With America compromised, the UK out of the picture and France flipped, there's nothing to stop Russian troops rolling into Latvia. I mean, I wouldn't rely on Germany, Italy and Spain to come my rescue if was fighting in the resistance in Riga, lets put it that way.

Well, a land war in Europe and a global economic collapse sound pretty bad. The UK's nuclear deterrent is worthless with an American president compromised by Russian intelligence. France is the other major military NATO power, complete with decades of combat experience and an independent nuclear arsenal.

With America compromised, the UK out of the picture and France flipped, there's nothing to stop Russian troops rolling into Latvia. I mean, I wouldn't rely on Germany, Italy and Spain to come my rescue if was fighting in the resistance in Riga, lets put it that way.

I am gonna recommend John Shirley's "Eclipse" series at this point, because it's fucking prophecy. Including Le Pen.

Oh, I forgot to add, France being flipped render's UK conventional forces, which by European standards are not inconsiderable, in a tricky situation too. The original plan was that in the event of a war, the tanks and APCs will be shipped via the Channel Tunnel. The NATO wargames mean that has already happened, at least in part, with the rest to occur during the next month. Now, the plan is that UK troops pass through the CT and go to where the tanks are, which is more sensible...but depends on free movement from France into Germany by a cooperating government.

Given Le Pen's entire party is bankrolled by Russian banks, I don't see her going along with that.

Well, I assume we could have the Royal Navy transport them into Germany direct via their northern ports...it'd just be that much more risky with Russian subs swarming the place and take three times as long. Same with airlifts.

Well, I assume we could have the Royal Navy transport them into Germany direct via their northern ports...it'd just be that much more risky with Russian subs swarming the place and take three times as long. Same with airlifts.

Airlifts are a non-starter for armored units, on any real scale.

But destroying a tunnel full of tanks seems pretty easy. Especially if France is acting dodgy.

So, I'm thinking about starting a small business online advertising and selling jackboots and other authoritarian paraphernalia on facebook. This is clearly intended for trolling purposes, but, at the same time, I would like to actually be set up to sell with a vary small, simple and cheap website that is set up for drop-shipping. I think it gives the whole thing more of a "No, Seriously. Would you like to buy some jackboots, my good sir?" edge.

I am in heavy freak out mode. Gotta take a break from facebook, gotta talk to people more substantially. I have definitely gotten lazy in my socializing, not really engaging with people. Since my divorce and falling out with almost every friend I had I have been hesitant to really put myself out there, opting instead to snatch whatever low-hanging fruit I can find.

And now that either total destruction or white authoritarianism (which is just about the same) is looking likely, I am just fried. I want to yell at every god damn person who protest voted or didn't vote at all.

I feel like my life has split into two halves; the before half, when I was a pretty young woman, a globally known artist in my field and then a star college student, PhD-bound, with three lovely healthy kids and the bloom of new love, all on our way to a secure future, and the after half, when I am a scarred old woman struggling with the aftermath of the death of my son, trudging through a Masters program and trying not to fear the future with a bumbling, mediocre, sexist, racist businessman in charge of the country and a shifting social climate in which even self-proclaimed liberals no longer feel they have to conceal their sexism and their racism, and think that this is the time to challenge feminist and civil rights movements for whatever reasons they imagine sound reasonable.

I was never really expecting to actually sell any jackboots. My target audience is about a dozen or so people on my facebook who are acting like they could start goosestepping any minute, but I think they're the kind who would rather let someone else handle the dirty work. They're pretty much Dominionists, though I doubt they even know what that word means. Basically, all the people I un-un-followed after the election to keep an eye on; mostly people I went to elementary/middle/high school with, and people from my church.

Having thought about it some more, I think a better plan wold be to set up a website that just looks like a legitimate e-commerce site selling jackboots and brown shirts at amazing prices, which lets the attempted buyer fill out all their information (except credit card), then just before it gets to the last page, freezes up for about two minutes, and then they get a page that says something like "Sorry, something went wrong, please try again later".

I was never really expecting to actually sell any jackboots. My target audience is about a dozen or so people on my facebook who are acting like they could start goosestepping any minute, but I think they're the kind who would rather let someone else handle the dirty work. They're pretty much Dominionists, though I doubt they even know what that word means. Basically, all the people I un-un-followed after the election to keep an eye on; mostly people I went to elementary/middle/high school with, and people from my church.

Having thought about it some more, I think a better plan wold be to set up a website that just looks like a legitimate e-commerce site selling jackboots and brown shirts at amazing prices, which lets the attempted buyer fill out all their information (except credit card), then just before it gets to the last page, freezes up for about two minutes, and then they get a page that says something like "Sorry, something went wrong, please try again later".

Ah, well I could get behind that. You should've opened with that. Remember, embellishment is the heart of storytelling.

I was never really expecting to actually sell any jackboots. My target audience is about a dozen or so people on my facebook who are acting like they could start goosestepping any minute, but I think they're the kind who would rather let someone else handle the dirty work. They're pretty much Dominionists, though I doubt they even know what that word means. Basically, all the people I un-un-followed after the election to keep an eye on; mostly people I went to elementary/middle/high school with, and people from my church.

Having thought about it some more, I think a better plan wold be to set up a website that just looks like a legitimate e-commerce site selling jackboots and brown shirts at amazing prices, which lets the attempted buyer fill out all their information (except credit card), then just before it gets to the last page, freezes up for about two minutes, and then they get a page that says something like "Sorry, something went wrong, please try again later".

Ah, well I could get behind that. You should've opened with that. Remember, embellishment is the heart of storytelling.

Yeah, sorry. Something on facebook pissed me off just as I was getting ready to leave for work, and I just kinda banged that first one out in a rush. At first, the idea of a site that actually sells jackboots seemed like a good beginning of an idea, but there were a few things in the back of my mind setting off alarms telling me it might need some adjusting.

For starters, what companies are out there that drop-ship jackboots? Do I want to do business with them? A company that specializes in jackboots and brown shirts? Nope. A company that sells boots, some of which happen to be jack, and shirts, some of which happen to be brown? Maybe.

Also, I know nothing about the jackboot market, and whether there are other uses for them besides Nazi-ing around in. For all I know, J.C. Penny sells them. Either way, I'm not really interested in selling them, merely the appearance of selling them.

I was never really expecting to actually sell any jackboots. My target audience is about a dozen or so people on my facebook who are acting like they could start goosestepping any minute, but I think they're the kind who would rather let someone else handle the dirty work. They're pretty much Dominionists, though I doubt they even know what that word means. Basically, all the people I un-un-followed after the election to keep an eye on; mostly people I went to elementary/middle/high school with, and people from my church.

Having thought about it some more, I think a better plan wold be to set up a website that just looks like a legitimate e-commerce site selling jackboots and brown shirts at amazing prices, which lets the attempted buyer fill out all their information (except credit card), then just before it gets to the last page, freezes up for about two minutes, and then they get a page that says something like "Sorry, something went wrong, please try again later".

Ah, if you're just fucking with them and not actually taking their money, I'm all for it.

Fuck this Presidency. I am noticing sexist, racist, homophobic posts and comments pop up more and more, from people I NEVER would have expected it from, along with lots and lots of posts aimed at knocking down people who support feminist and civil rights movements. This is more discouraging to me than the right-wing conservatives spouting the same garbage, because it tells me that there are a lot of people calling themselves liberals who have been allies in name only, because they got social approval for being allies, and now that they might get social approval for revealing their true feelings about uppity wimmins and queers and colored folk, they're testing the waters.

Fuck this Presidency. I am noticing sexist, racist, homophobic posts and comments pop up more and more, from people I NEVER would have expected it from, along with lots and lots of posts aimed at knocking down people who support feminist and civil rights movements. This is more discouraging to me than the right-wing conservatives spouting the same garbage, because it tells me that there are a lot of people calling themselves liberals who have been allies in name only, because they got social approval for being allies, and now that they might get social approval for revealing their true feelings about uppity wimmins and queers and colored folk, they're testing the waters.

So, I've been working as a recruiter's assistant for close to 3 months (90 day probationary period is over in just over a week)... not a bad job, but it's very "salesman", which is not something I am particularly good at. There's also a bunch of minutiae one needs to remember in the computer system, and the recruiter I work under gets the full commission for work I do. (I screen potential clients, go through their work history, and decide if they are worth submitting to our clients).

So. it's a much better job than I have had since I got laid off from the Pussy Palace, but it's not really my cuppa, when it comes down to it.

A friend offered me a gig at a pot-growing garden on the north side of the city. Apparently it's licensed (not certain if this is true yet). Two bucks more per hour than the recruiter job, but there's obviously a bit of a stigma involved. Wife was unimpressed by the offer, despite the 2 dollars more. She sees me getting busted in a raid. Which I can't say I know for sure won't happen.

I'm thinking I should at least go for coffee with this friend and get more details. Or, am I nuts for even considering this? There is definitely a part of me worried I am just tryin to skirt responsibility. Probably a big part.

So, I've been working as a recruiter's assistant for close to 3 months (90 day probationary period is over in just over a week)... not a bad job, but it's very "salesman", which is not something I am particularly good at. There's also a bunch of minutiae one needs to remember in the computer system, and the recruiter I work under gets the full commission for work I do. (I screen potential clients, go through their work history, and decide if they are worth submitting to our clients).

So. it's a much better job than I have had since I got laid off from the Pussy Palace, but it's not really my cuppa, when it comes down to it.

A friend offered me a gig at a pot-growing garden on the north side of the city. Apparently it's licensed (not certain if this is true yet). Two bucks more per hour than the recruiter job, but there's obviously a bit of a stigma involved. Wife was unimpressed by the offer, despite the 2 dollars more. She sees me getting busted in a raid. Which I can't say I know for sure won't happen.

I'm thinking I should at least go for coffee with this friend and get more details. Or, am I nuts for even considering this? There is definitely a part of me worried I am just tryin to skirt responsibility. Probably a big part.

Opinions? (Apologies for post length)

What's the likelihood of legality in your area? To me, it sounds like an amazing opportunity, if only because you will have an "in" when/if recreational pot is legalized there.

So, I've been working as a recruiter's assistant for close to 3 months (90 day probationary period is over in just over a week)... not a bad job, but it's very "salesman", which is not something I am particularly good at. There's also a bunch of minutiae one needs to remember in the computer system, and the recruiter I work under gets the full commission for work I do. (I screen potential clients, go through their work history, and decide if they are worth submitting to our clients).

So. it's a much better job than I have had since I got laid off from the Pussy Palace, but it's not really my cuppa, when it comes down to it.

A friend offered me a gig at a pot-growing garden on the north side of the city. Apparently it's licensed (not certain if this is true yet). Two bucks more per hour than the recruiter job, but there's obviously a bit of a stigma involved. Wife was unimpressed by the offer, despite the 2 dollars more. She sees me getting busted in a raid. Which I can't say I know for sure won't happen.

I'm thinking I should at least go for coffee with this friend and get more details. Or, am I nuts for even considering this? There is definitely a part of me worried I am just tryin to skirt responsibility. Probably a big part.

Opinions? (Apologies for post length)

What's the likelihood of legality in your area? To me, it sounds like an amazing opportunity, if only because you will have an "in" when/if recreational pot is legalized there.

It's likely pretty close, though I do wonder if the government is planning to take over growing if and when it's implemented.

So, I've been working as a recruiter's assistant for close to 3 months (90 day probationary period is over in just over a week)... not a bad job, but it's very "salesman", which is not something I am particularly good at. There's also a bunch of minutiae one needs to remember in the computer system, and the recruiter I work under gets the full commission for work I do. (I screen potential clients, go through their work history, and decide if they are worth submitting to our clients).

So. it's a much better job than I have had since I got laid off from the Pussy Palace, but it's not really my cuppa, when it comes down to it.

A friend offered me a gig at a pot-growing garden on the north side of the city. Apparently it's licensed (not certain if this is true yet). Two bucks more per hour than the recruiter job, but there's obviously a bit of a stigma involved. Wife was unimpressed by the offer, despite the 2 dollars more. She sees me getting busted in a raid. Which I can't say I know for sure won't happen.

I'm thinking I should at least go for coffee with this friend and get more details. Or, am I nuts for even considering this? There is definitely a part of me worried I am just tryin to skirt responsibility. Probably a big part.

Opinions? (Apologies for post length)

What's the likelihood of legality in your area? To me, it sounds like an amazing opportunity, if only because you will have an "in" when/if recreational pot is legalized there.

It's likely pretty close, though I do wonder if the government is planning to take over growing if and when it's implemented.

It's worth considering the ways that growing would be very different to a traditional job before you take it on. You are growing a bunch of plants for around 4-6 months and then harvesting. One risk is that some disaster strikes and all your plants die. If disaster doesn't strike you're probably gonna be doing a lot of hauling soil/water around and trimming leaves day-to-day.

So, I've been working as a recruiter's assistant for close to 3 months (90 day probationary period is over in just over a week)... not a bad job, but it's very "salesman", which is not something I am particularly good at. There's also a bunch of minutiae one needs to remember in the computer system, and the recruiter I work under gets the full commission for work I do. (I screen potential clients, go through their work history, and decide if they are worth submitting to our clients).

So. it's a much better job than I have had since I got laid off from the Pussy Palace, but it's not really my cuppa, when it comes down to it.

A friend offered me a gig at a pot-growing garden on the north side of the city. Apparently it's licensed (not certain if this is true yet). Two bucks more per hour than the recruiter job, but there's obviously a bit of a stigma involved. Wife was unimpressed by the offer, despite the 2 dollars more. She sees me getting busted in a raid. Which I can't say I know for sure won't happen.

I'm thinking I should at least go for coffee with this friend and get more details. Or, am I nuts for even considering this? There is definitely a part of me worried I am just tryin to skirt responsibility. Probably a big part.

Opinions? (Apologies for post length)

What's the likelihood of legality in your area? To me, it sounds like an amazing opportunity, if only because you will have an "in" when/if recreational pot is legalized there.

It's likely pretty close, though I do wonder if the government is planning to take over growing if and when it's implemented.

Thinking strategically, and considering what has happened in Portland post-legalization, I would advise seriously considering this as a career option. Getting into any aspect of this industry is totally a who-you-know thing here now; it is an incredibly challenging industry to break into if you were not already involved pre-legalization. Industry skills are also highly portable, so although relocation destinations may currently be limited, it is certainly one aspect to consider.

So, I've been working as a recruiter's assistant for close to 3 months (90 day probationary period is over in just over a week)... not a bad job, but it's very "salesman", which is not something I am particularly good at. There's also a bunch of minutiae one needs to remember in the computer system, and the recruiter I work under gets the full commission for work I do. (I screen potential clients, go through their work history, and decide if they are worth submitting to our clients).

So. it's a much better job than I have had since I got laid off from the Pussy Palace, but it's not really my cuppa, when it comes down to it.

A friend offered me a gig at a pot-growing garden on the north side of the city. Apparently it's licensed (not certain if this is true yet). Two bucks more per hour than the recruiter job, but there's obviously a bit of a stigma involved. Wife was unimpressed by the offer, despite the 2 dollars more. She sees me getting busted in a raid. Which I can't say I know for sure won't happen.

I'm thinking I should at least go for coffee with this friend and get more details. Or, am I nuts for even considering this? There is definitely a part of me worried I am just tryin to skirt responsibility. Probably a big part.

Opinions? (Apologies for post length)

What's the likelihood of legality in your area? To me, it sounds like an amazing opportunity, if only because you will have an "in" when/if recreational pot is legalized there.

It's likely pretty close, though I do wonder if the government is planning to take over growing if and when it's implemented.

Thinking strategically, and considering what has happened in Portland post-legalization, I would advise seriously considering this as a career option. Getting into any aspect of this industry is totally a who-you-know thing here now; it is an incredibly challenging industry to break into if you were not already involved pre-legalization. Industry skills are also highly portable, so although relocation destinations may currently be limited, it is certainly one aspect to consider.

Thanks Nigel, that's good information to have under my belt when I go talk to my friend this weekend. I would love to get in on the ground floor of what will undoubtedly be a gargantuan industry here in Canada.

So, I've been working as a recruiter's assistant for close to 3 months (90 day probationary period is over in just over a week)... not a bad job, but it's very "salesman", which is not something I am particularly good at. There's also a bunch of minutiae one needs to remember in the computer system, and the recruiter I work under gets the full commission for work I do. (I screen potential clients, go through their work history, and decide if they are worth submitting to our clients).

So. it's a much better job than I have had since I got laid off from the Pussy Palace, but it's not really my cuppa, when it comes down to it.

A friend offered me a gig at a pot-growing garden on the north side of the city. Apparently it's licensed (not certain if this is true yet). Two bucks more per hour than the recruiter job, but there's obviously a bit of a stigma involved. Wife was unimpressed by the offer, despite the 2 dollars more. She sees me getting busted in a raid. Which I can't say I know for sure won't happen.

I'm thinking I should at least go for coffee with this friend and get more details. Or, am I nuts for even considering this? There is definitely a part of me worried I am just tryin to skirt responsibility. Probably a big part.

Opinions? (Apologies for post length)

What's the likelihood of legality in your area? To me, it sounds like an amazing opportunity, if only because you will have an "in" when/if recreational pot is legalized there.

It's likely pretty close, though I do wonder if the government is planning to take over growing if and when it's implemented.

Thinking strategically, and considering what has happened in Portland post-legalization, I would advise seriously considering this as a career option. Getting into any aspect of this industry is totally a who-you-know thing here now; it is an incredibly challenging industry to break into if you were not already involved pre-legalization. Industry skills are also highly portable, so although relocation destinations may currently be limited, it is certainly one aspect to consider.

Thanks Nigel, that's good information to have under my belt when I go talk to my friend this weekend. I would love to get in on the ground floor of what will undoubtedly be a gargantuan industry here in Canada.

Whyyyyy did I agree to go in at 9 am to observe the setup for sagittal brain sectioning on a day I have to be on campus until 8? I was there from 7:15 to 7:10 yesterday. I feel like I can't really complain about 12 hour days when I just got an unexpected 6-day weekend because of snow, but I am gonna anyway.

I had stuff to do yesterday, and decided to take home a bus that would drop me off a few extra blocks from home so I could get some exercise. Some drunk asshole staggered into my path and aggressively said "Hey. Where 'r you goin?!" When I glared and said I was going home, he stared at me, then said "Me, too," and fucking waved me on, gave me permission to leave.

Whyyyyy did I agree to go in at 9 am to observe the setup for sagittal brain sectioning on a day I have to be on campus until 8? I was there from 7:15 to 7:10 yesterday. I feel like I can't really complain about 12 hour days when I just got an unexpected 6-day weekend because of snow, but I am gonna anyway.

The best thing about this complaint was when I got here and realized that I didn't have to be here until 11. It's tomorrow that I have to be here by 9. :kingmeh:

Whyyyyy did I agree to go in at 9 am to observe the setup for sagittal brain sectioning on a day I have to be on campus until 8? I was there from 7:15 to 7:10 yesterday. I feel like I can't really complain about 12 hour days when I just got an unexpected 6-day weekend because of snow, but I am gonna anyway.

The best thing about this complaint was when I got here and realized that I didn't have to be here until 11. It's tomorrow that I have to be here by 9. :kingmeh:

Whyyyyy did I agree to go in at 9 am to observe the setup for sagittal brain sectioning on a day I have to be on campus until 8? I was there from 7:15 to 7:10 yesterday. I feel like I can't really complain about 12 hour days when I just got an unexpected 6-day weekend because of snow, but I am gonna anyway.

The best thing about this complaint was when I got here and realized that I didn't have to be here until 11. It's tomorrow that I have to be here by 9. :kingmeh:

Three million people are mad enough to flood the streets. Twitter is full of alt accounts for government organizations getting gagged by the new administration. The NYC Counterterrorism people really liked our talk and want to do more stuff, same for the folks from the LA sheriff's department. I yelled at the DoD's chief engineer for being a colossal douche, and he apologized. D&D alignment chart references abounded, and I didn't have to explain the concept in detail to get folks on board. The mayor of Boston just told the administration to eat a dick.

Three million people are mad enough to flood the streets. Twitter is full of alt accounts for government organizations getting gagged by the new administration. The NYC Counterterrorism people really liked our talk and want to do more stuff, same for the folks from the LA sheriff's department. I yelled at the DoD's chief engineer for being a colossal douche, and he apologized. D&D alignment chart references abounded, and I didn't have to explain the concept in detail to get folks on board. The mayor of Boston just told the administration to eat a dick.

Discordianism has been hijacked. As much as the concept of the public domain of intellectual properties is worthy of support, this is one of the rare occasions in which the lack of formal control has resulted in a systematic perversion of the original idea. Discordianism was left to the public domain for a reason: if you ever suspect that anyone is dictating what Discordianism is, they are the enemy.

This has been happening for quite some time.

If you have your own idea of Discordianism and you start preaching it to other "Discordians", you will be accused of being a "Really Real Discordian". The "Really Real Discordian" accusation is a defense against any attacks towards the brand of Discordianism that has been co-opted. If someone accuses you of being a Really Real Discordian, it probably means you're onto something interesting that they don't want to hear. Or you're a complete ass. It's one of the two.

I'm saying make sure the guy you're calling a Nazi is in fact a Nazi before using the term. If someone has evidence that Mr. "Hitler Wasn't Wrong" is in fact a dues-paying member of Stormfront or some other fascist promoting organization, I'd like to see it.

I'm saying make sure the guy you're calling a Nazi is in fact a Nazi before using the term. If someone has evidence that Mr. "Hitler Wasn't Wrong" is in fact a dues-paying member of Stormfront or some other fascist promoting organization, I'd like to see it.

Thinks only the ones with documentation are part of the problem... derp.

I'm saying make sure the guy you're calling a Nazi is in fact a Nazi before using the term. If someone has evidence that Mr. "Hitler Wasn't Wrong" is in fact a dues-paying member of Stormfront or some other fascist promoting organization, I'd like to see it.

Thinks only the ones with documentation are part of the problem... derp.

I'm saying make sure the guy you're calling a Nazi is in fact a Nazi before using the term. If someone has evidence that Mr. "Hitler Wasn't Wrong" is in fact a dues-paying member of Stormfront or some other fascist promoting organization, I'd like to see it.

If he wants to get pedantic about it, almost nobody's a Nazi because the National Socialist German Workers' Party doesn't exist anymore.

But in the sense that a Nazi is someone who supports the ideology of the National Socialist German Workers' Party, anybody who thinks Hitler was right is definitely a Nazi.

Can't say. But I am :lulz: at the fact that professors have epic email catfights. I can tell there's history behind it, too, so I assume it's not the first time it's happened; just the first time they have CCd the entire department.

I'm saying make sure the guy you're calling a Nazi is in fact a Nazi before using the term. If someone has evidence that Mr. "Hitler Wasn't Wrong" is in fact a dues-paying member of Stormfront or some other fascist promoting organization, I'd like to see it.

I hate to say this, but there is a possibility that "Hilter Did Nothing Wrong" guy may not be a Nazi. A 4chan Get thread a few years back went something along the lines of "whatever post hits [insert Big Round Number Here] is true forever" and "Hitler did nothing wrong" was the post that won. It was also one of the finalists in Mt Dew's poorly thought out online naming contest. Edgelord certainly, Nazi status is questionable.

Not the guy who got punched, though, that guy's a fucking Nazi all day.

Husband is in hospital for eeg monitoring, they need to trigger a seizure and his brain isn't cooperating. It's all like "oh sure now you WANT me to do this."

Shit, dude. I hope they figure it out!

Geh spikes but nothing else. Hopefully that is enough.

Basically he had a seizure after a year of being free of them while on meds. New neurologist didn't think previous assessment that his mri reveled a structural problem he said it was too soon after his first one, the anomaly might have been the brain recovering. After asking me about sleep disruptions, I said yeah before he was on meds he'd sit up randomly, say things, occasionally sleepwalk. Neurologist suspected those were seizures and that the problem might have been going on longer than we think (sleep disturbances happened as long we've been together, seizures just 3 years) .

So signed him up for this monitoring to find out what's going on. I should have asked what the hell happens if his brain doesn't cooperate. We can't go any longer, too expensive, also not exactly healthy long term.

Though he got to wear the experimental dense eeg apparatus for two days and looked like a spaceman, so there's that.

Husband is in hospital for eeg monitoring, they need to trigger a seizure and his brain isn't cooperating. It's all like "oh sure now you WANT me to do this."

Shit, dude. I hope they figure it out!

Geh spikes but nothing else. Hopefully that is enough.

Basically he had a seizure after a year of being free of them while on meds. New neurologist didn't think previous assessment that his mri reveled a structural problem he said it was too soon after his first one, the anomaly might have been the brain recovering. After asking me about sleep disruptions, I said yeah before he was on meds he'd sit up randomly, say things, occasionally sleepwalk. Neurologist suspected those were seizures and that the problem might have been going on longer than we think (sleep disturbances happened as long we've been together, seizures just 3 years) .

So signed him up for this monitoring to find out what's going on. I should have asked what the hell happens if his brain doesn't cooperate. We can't go any longer, too expensive, also not exactly healthy long term.

Though he got to wear the experimental dense eeg apparatus for two days and looked like a spaceman, so there's that.

That is craptastic. Are they gonna do an fMRI, or is that too expensive?

Husband is in hospital for eeg monitoring, they need to trigger a seizure and his brain isn't cooperating. It's all like "oh sure now you WANT me to do this."

Shit, dude. I hope they figure it out!

Geh spikes but nothing else. Hopefully that is enough.

Basically he had a seizure after a year of being free of them while on meds. New neurologist didn't think previous assessment that his mri reveled a structural problem he said it was too soon after his first one, the anomaly might have been the brain recovering. After asking me about sleep disruptions, I said yeah before he was on meds he'd sit up randomly, say things, occasionally sleepwalk. Neurologist suspected those were seizures and that the problem might have been going on longer than we think (sleep disturbances happened as long we've been together, seizures just 3 years) .

So signed him up for this monitoring to find out what's going on. I should have asked what the hell happens if his brain doesn't cooperate. We can't go any longer, too expensive, also not exactly healthy long term.

Though he got to wear the experimental dense eeg apparatus for two days and looked like a spaceman, so there's that.

That is craptastic. Are they gonna do an fMRI, or is that too expensive?

I'm saying make sure the guy you're calling a Nazi is in fact a Nazi before using the term. If someone has evidence that Mr. "Hitler Wasn't Wrong" is in fact a dues-paying member of Stormfront or some other fascist promoting organization, I'd like to see it.

I hate to say this, but there is a possibility that "Hilter Did Nothing Wrong" guy may not be a Nazi. A 4chan Get thread a few years back went something along the lines of "whatever post hits [insert Big Round Number Here] is true forever" and "Hitler did nothing wrong" was the post that won. It was also one of the finalists in Mt Dew's poorly thought out online naming contest. Edgelord certainly, Nazi status is questionable.

Not the guy who got punched, though, that guy's a fucking Nazi all day.

Someone spouts blatantly pro-Nazi shit they no longer get any kind of benefit of the doubt whether they are or are not a nazi.

Maybe five, ten years ago you could reasonably talk about "oh, maybe they're just edgy", but real Nazis are stalking these streets today. If you don't want to be mistaken for the Enemy, you don't adopt their ideological uniform. Period. The Resistance isn't too sure on who's part of them at the best of times.

I'm saying make sure the guy you're calling a Nazi is in fact a Nazi before using the term. If someone has evidence that Mr. "Hitler Wasn't Wrong" is in fact a dues-paying member of Stormfront or some other fascist promoting organization, I'd like to see it.

I hate to say this, but there is a possibility that "Hilter Did Nothing Wrong" guy may not be a Nazi. A 4chan Get thread a few years back went something along the lines of "whatever post hits [insert Big Round Number Here] is true forever" and "Hitler did nothing wrong" was the post that won. It was also one of the finalists in Mt Dew's poorly thought out online naming contest. Edgelord certainly, Nazi status is questionable.

Not the guy who got punched, though, that guy's a fucking Nazi all day.

Someone spouts blatantly pro-Nazi shit they no longer get any kind of benefit of the doubt whether they are or are not a nazi.

I am now doing the most horrible technical job that exists. Rat-catchers and British demolitions guys will sneer at me, though not at the pay. Half of my time will be in Tucson, the other half in Phoenix.

Fortunately, the work is at night, to hide our shameful deeds. Also it will only be 110F in the summer, instead of 120F, so I have that going for me.

I stole a mattress tonight. Hopefully this will ensure a good sleep tomorrow, because if it doesn't I'm going to have to look up some hotels to stay at during my time off. I'm pretty sure the mattress was the problem though, going by the aches in my back.

Work rant incoming, so you know what to do if that doesn't interest you...

A student went missing last night. Didn't sign back into the building, didn't show up for curfew, no information to explain his absence, not hiding in anyone else's room.

As our students are over 18, but still in our care, there is little I can do but ensure he is not here (especially after last week, when the other night shift reported the student missing despite him being in the kitchen), attempt to contact him by his (switched off) phone and keep checking the room, on the off chance he was somewhere else in the building and had forgotten to sign in.

Come 7am, there's no sign of him, so I inform the building manager, write up a report and sign off for the day.

My manager instructed the day shift to check, via the electronic registration form, whether the missing student had attended class today. When he saw there was a "late" on his first class, he declared the problem solved. Two hours later, his boss rang, saying the student had missed all the classes that day (the initial entry was user error) and that they had to locate him.

Using the older student records, they found a previous phone number and called it, asking for the missing student to get in touch. An hour later, he got a text back, saying that everything was OK. No call to speak with him, no verification that it was actally him sending the text, just a single text saying everything was OK. No location or reason for the absence was even given. My boss, deciding this was his allotted work for the day, declared the case solved and went home at 3pm, as is his usual schedule.

Fortunately, his boss, despite his own moral, intellectual and emotional failings, decided to actually do his job and get in contact with the student via his parents (who were understandably very concerned about their son going missing in a city halfway across the world) and speak with him, on the phone, to ensure he was OK and verify his location and return date.

But still....if the student hadn't been OK, if something had happened...my manager would be up on charges of negligence at the very least. According to the day staff, he spent more time crowing about his "brilliance" in sending a text to an old number than he did being concerned that a student had vanished, especially a student without prior incidents of similar events.

Work rant incoming, so you know what to do if that doesn't interest you...

A student went missing last night. Didn't sign back into the building, didn't show up for curfew, no information to explain his absence, not hiding in anyone else's room.

As our students are over 18, but still in our care, there is little I can do but ensure he is not here (especially after last week, when the other night shift reported the student missing despite him being in the kitchen), attempt to contact him by his (switched off) phone and keep checking the room, on the off chance he was somewhere else in the building and had forgotten to sign in.

Come 7am, there's no sign of him, so I inform the building manager, write up a report and sign off for the day.

My manager instructed the day shift to check, via the electronic registration form, whether the missing student had attended class today. When he saw there was a "late" on his first class, he declared the problem solved. Two hours later, his boss rang, saying the student had missed all the classes that day (the initial entry was user error) and that they had to locate him.

Using the older student records, they found a previous phone number and called it, asking for the missing student to get in touch. An hour later, he got a text back, saying that everything was OK. No call to speak with him, no verification that it was actally him sending the text, just a single text saying everything was OK. No location or reason for the absence was even given. My boss, deciding this was his allotted work for the day, declared the case solved and went home at 3pm, as is his usual schedule.

Fortunately, his boss, despite his own moral, intellectual and emotional failings, decided to actually do his job and get in contact with the student via his parents (who were understandably very concerned about their son going missing in a city halfway across the world) and speak with him, on the phone, to ensure he was OK and verify his location and return date.

But still....if the student hadn't been OK, if something had happened...my manager would be up on charges of negligence at the very least. According to the day staff, he spent more time crowing about his "brilliance" in sending a text to an old number than he did being concerned that a student had vanished, especially a student without prior incidents of similar events.

What the actual fuck? That guy needs to get fired. Just fucking straight-up fired.

So my incredibly annoying Harry Potter-looking Emo Philips-soundalike intern has been increasingly obnoxious and needy, despite being put on some much easier tasks, and apparently she had some sort of meltdown yesterday and walked out early while all the researchers were in lab meeting.

She's been complaining about absolutely everything, and her most recent complaint was that 8 hours a week is too much of a time commitment, despite the fact that she signed up for research credit last term and is only here this term because she never showed up and took an incomplete.

I would have more sympathy for her, except that she has never, ever, not even once, actually been in the lab 8 hours a week. She arrives late, leaves early, and calls in sick/unavailable at least once a week. There is no way she will ever fulfill her time obligation to get a decent grade on the ONE credit she is trying to make up.

I don't know WTF is wrong with her, but I know I want to stay as far away as possible because she strikes me as the type who files complaints when things don't go her way. She is very, very, very whiny, and everything that happens is always someone else's fault.

Last week, it was her professor's fault she didn't make an appointment to take her exam in the testing center earlier in the term before all the slots filled up.

I can see where this trainwreck is heading, and as the lab liaison I fully anticipate that she will try to make it my fault.

From what I can see, 2000 words is the standard. Given I came up with my latest, most coherent idea, at about 1700, and it's now 1930, and I have 500 words down, I feel like I'm onto something. If I can finish this tonight, I can spend my next 3 work nights sending off applications.

I should be working on my prospectus as well, but instead I get to go talk to my father, who has Alzheimers and is now denying having had a stroke. He wants to move into our basement, which is a bad idea for a plethora of reasons including that we are still grieving the loss of my son, the basement is not currently habitable, we have only one bathroom, we have no storage space, and I don't have time to deal with any of this given that I am also trying to raise the girls and get through grad school.

My dad never sold or otherwise disposed of his massive firearm collection after his conviction for voter fraud. His property in Washington was broken into, and in the process of taking care of the situation my brother and the sheriff's department found that he had moved everything up there.

So now, there may be charges brought against him for illegal possession of 500+ guns.

It's been interesting watching the alt right (de?)evolve from it's pseudointellectual "dark enlightenment" roots and slide further into kek-worship and alex jones. this is what happens when you coopt image board culture. Gamergate was a blessing and a curse for the alt-right.

The company I support had a major system failure a week or so ago, and it gave me the opportunity to shine. The company's VPN system failed for many people who don't have an office location to go to. The fix was to install the newest version of the VPN program.

As a contractor, I have access to Remote Administration Tools, which grant me the ability to remote into users' computers that aren't connected to the Company's network. From there, I would transfer the new update to the user's computer and run it.

The unfortunate part, is that none of the users have Administrative access over their workstations. So the installs were only working on computers owned by developers who were granted local admin rights.

Our Deskside team decided to ignore our request for the local Admin passwords until several hundred people were unable to work. Once we finally got the passwords, we found out that the passwords are changed monthly, and pushed out via Group Policy. This is both, extremely inconvenient, and very insecure, for reasons I will go into later. But it essentially meant that the Deskside team's method for resolution was to try every password from every month since the computer was made. And when they realized that this process was going to be tedious and time consuming, they decided that they were NOT going to actually fix the issues. Instead, their entire department started forwarding their tickets to our team of 3 people.

In minutes, I simplified the entire process with a single Command from the command line. I sent an email to my team describing the much more simplified process. My boss decided to forward my email, with no context or explanation, to the entire Deskside team and it's Department Head.

The email, as it was received, appeared to be me telling the Deskside team how to do their jobs, bluntly. Best part is, the head of the Deskside department commended me for it in a reply all. Then, they forwarded it to other higher-ups within the company.

After that, and my exposure of a serious security flaw during a several-hundred dollar bridge call with some higher-ups, higher-ups within my own company started to take notice. We received some nice bonuses, and now my boss is forwarding internal, management-level job offers to me. Things are looking very very good for me at the moment.

The company I support had a major system failure a week or so ago, and it gave me the opportunity to shine. The company's VPN system failed for many people who don't have an office location to go to. The fix was to install the newest version of the VPN program.

As a contractor, I have access to Remote Administration Tools, which grant me the ability to remote into users' computers that aren't connected to the Company's network. From there, I would transfer the new update to the user's computer and run it.

The unfortunate part, is that none of the users have Administrative access over their workstations. So the installs were only working on computers owned by developers who were granted local admin rights.

Our Deskside team decided to ignore our request for the local Admin passwords until several hundred people were unable to work. Once we finally got the passwords, we found out that the passwords are changed monthly, and pushed out via Group Policy. This is both, extremely inconvenient, and very insecure, for reasons I will go into later. But it essentially meant that the Deskside team's method for resolution was to try every password from every month since the computer was made. And when they realized that this process was going to be tedious and time consuming, they decided that they were NOT going to actually fix the issues. Instead, their entire department started forwarding their tickets to our team of 3 people.

In minutes, I simplified the entire process with a single Command from the command line. I sent an email to my team describing the much more simplified process. My boss decided to forward my email, with no context or explanation, to the entire Deskside team and it's Department Head.

The email, as it was received, appeared to be me telling the Deskside team how to do their jobs, bluntly. Best part is, the head of the Deskside department commended me for it in a reply all. Then, they forwarded it to other higher-ups within the company.

After that, and my exposure of a serious security flaw during a several-hundred dollar bridge call with some higher-ups, higher-ups within my own company started to take notice. We received some nice bonuses, and now my boss is forwarding internal, management-level job offers to me. Things are looking very very good for me at the moment.

When you file your taxes and hardly get shit back, so you start considering Anarchism as a valid political viewpoint. :argh!:

:um:

That is basically the argument of libertarians and the wealthy.

That was the joke :lulz:

Nice. Best I can get when I yell at people up the chain that something is broken, I get an acknowledgement that something is broken.

Right now trying to figure out who to yell at for their stupid idea to try to just ship weather media systems to other countries when said countries have (effectively) no local data or models tailored to the region.

This is despite the fact we sell systems that can measure said data. They aren't packaging them together or have any sort of push to sell them in said countries.

You know you had a shit day when the part where you were first on the scene of a horrific car accident and ended up spending several minutes giving mouth-to-mouth resuscitation to a probably dead guy was not even remotely the worst part of your day.

Man, seriously fuck this shit right in the ear. I'm ready to just walk deep into the woods somewhere and call it a fucking day.

You know you had a shit day when the part where you were first on the scene of a horrific car accident and ended up spending several minutes giving mouth-to-mouth resuscitation to a probably dead guy was not even remotely the worst part of your day.

Man, seriously fuck this shit right in the ear. I'm ready to just walk deep into the woods somewhere and call it a fucking day.

You know you had a shit day when the part where you were first on the scene of a horrific car accident and ended up spending several minutes giving mouth-to-mouth resuscitation to a probably dead guy was not even remotely the worst part of your day.

Man, seriously fuck this shit right in the ear. I'm ready to just walk deep into the woods somewhere and call it a fucking day.

The company I support had a major system failure a week or so ago, and it gave me the opportunity to shine. The company's VPN system failed for many people who don't have an office location to go to. The fix was to install the newest version of the VPN program.

As a contractor, I have access to Remote Administration Tools, which grant me the ability to remote into users' computers that aren't connected to the Company's network. From there, I would transfer the new update to the user's computer and run it.

The unfortunate part, is that none of the users have Administrative access over their workstations. So the installs were only working on computers owned by developers who were granted local admin rights.

Our Deskside team decided to ignore our request for the local Admin passwords until several hundred people were unable to work. Once we finally got the passwords, we found out that the passwords are changed monthly, and pushed out via Group Policy. This is both, extremely inconvenient, and very insecure, for reasons I will go into later. But it essentially meant that the Deskside team's method for resolution was to try every password from every month since the computer was made. And when they realized that this process was going to be tedious and time consuming, they decided that they were NOT going to actually fix the issues. Instead, their entire department started forwarding their tickets to our team of 3 people.

In minutes, I simplified the entire process with a single Command from the command line. I sent an email to my team describing the much more simplified process. My boss decided to forward my email, with no context or explanation, to the entire Deskside team and it's Department Head.

The email, as it was received, appeared to be me telling the Deskside team how to do their jobs, bluntly. Best part is, the head of the Deskside department commended me for it in a reply all. Then, they forwarded it to other higher-ups within the company.

After that, and my exposure of a serious security flaw during a several-hundred dollar bridge call with some higher-ups, higher-ups within my own company started to take notice. We received some nice bonuses, and now my boss is forwarding internal, management-level job offers to me. Things are looking very very good for me at the moment.

When you file your taxes and hardly get shit back, so you start considering Anarchism as a valid political viewpoint. :argh!:

:um:

That is basically the argument of libertarians and the wealthy.

That was the joke :lulz:

Nice. Best I can get when I yell at people up the chain that something is broken, I get an acknowledgement that something is broken.

Right now trying to figure out who to yell at for their stupid idea to try to just ship weather media systems to other countries when said countries have (effectively) no local data or models tailored to the region.

This is despite the fact we sell systems that can measure said data. They aren't packaging them together or have any sort of push to sell them in said countries.

:lulz:

That's like knowingly offering to baby-sit for a couple that doesn't have a kid. And then, when they tell you they don't have a kid, but want to adopt one, you tell them that you have a kid you were wanting to put up for adoption, but not for them.

Does your company already communicate with these potential non-customers? Or are they just shipping these products over to these countries based on speculation that one of them will be stupid enough to buy techmology they can't use yet?

You know you had a shit day when the part where you were first on the scene of a horrific car accident and ended up spending several minutes giving mouth-to-mouth resuscitation to a probably dead guy was not even remotely the worst part of your day.

Man, seriously fuck this shit right in the ear. I'm ready to just walk deep into the woods somewhere and call it a fucking day.

Mostly it doesn't happen to me, I just have a knack for being around when it happens to other people. Not sure if I'm just hyper-obsevant or if I've got my own personal entropy cloud that follows me around.

Dpends on your definition of "ultimately", I guess. Some day we'll all be stardust again, so yes.

But in the short term, maybe not so much. I fear I may soon need a custody lawyer, and if you're a father in WA that's not a good spot to be in, legally speaking.

Oh, no. :( I thought WA was a coparenting state like Oregon is. I'm sorry to hear about that.

There's no actual joint custody in WA, they have you do a "parenting plan" that the court signs off on and even though you are both legally custodial parents the state designates one parent as the primary and one as the secondary. She'll be the primary by default and the primary can legally move out of state with the child with virtually no legal recourse for me. I will not have that same right. Oregon is MUCH more equitable in such matters.

Also, if it goes to court the state will sue me for child support by default because baby girl is on state health care. I'm perfectly willing to spend every last penny I have on my child but I don't at all like the idea of being required to just cut a check with no say as to how it's spent. I understand there are plenty of shitheads out there for whom such requirements are necessary for the child's well being. I am not one of them, and though her mom is a great mother, she doesn't always have long-term big picture stuff in focus as well as I do. If the state gets involved they won't, for example, allow some of my child support to be put into an interest-bearing account for the purpose of being maybe able to afford a few years of Montessori school at the start of her educational career.

There's no actual joint custody in WA, they have you do a "parenting plan" that the court signs off on and even though you are both legally custodial parents the state designates one parent as the primary and one as the secondary. She'll be the primary by default and the primary can legally move out of state with the child with virtually no legal recourse for me. I will not have that same right. Oregon is MUCH more equitable in such matters.

So from what I know, terms like sole or joint custody don't really mean much, legally. In a lot of states, custody is determined during the divorce proceedings if custody is contested. Generally, before the court decides anything, the parents sit down in a mediation (which costs roughly 100-200/hr, can last 4+ hrs) and hash out a plan. I don't know the laws of Washington, but I really really highly highly highly doubt the state designates one parent as the primary and the other as a secondary. Judge's have to determine the "best interests of the child", and while that differs from state to state, it rarely results in one parent becoming the sole parent except in extraordinary circumstances. Generally, time is split as equally as possible between the parents because judges generally think its in the best interest of the child to have a close relationship with both parents. From what I know, the majority of states (and none that I know of) allow one parent to just take the child and just move around wherever. There has to be at least notification and discussion and potentially a legal dispute before radical changes like that are allowed to take place.

[Edit]I just checked the Washington statutes (THIS IS NOT LEGAL ADVICE) and they don't say anything about primary or secondary parents. The sole determiner is the "best interest of the child", which likely means you'll devise a joint parenting plan with the mother where both of you will feel a little shitty afterward but not totally defeated. Don't freak out man, it's not the 80's anymore where the mother just takes the kid and you get screwed.

I'll try not to bristle at the implication that I didn't already look into this. My information came from a practitioner of family law, but thanks for your input. The joint parenting plan still carries a designation of primary residential parent and secondary residential parent and even though both are considered legal custodial parents there are some important differences. I've been advised that I should not completely discount the "nuclear option", which would be to rent a room in Oregon for a month, take her there, and preemptively file in Oregon. I'm not inclined to do it, but the fact that an attorney familiar with case law in both states seems to think it's a reasonable option is telling.

It's cool that you've been able to talk with a lawyer about this stuff. I've had to suck it up and not see my children very often because I haven't been able to afford one.

Instead I've been channeling my rage into learning software engineering and web technologies. Within a few years I'm going to have full custody of both kids and their mothers are going to suddenly know how I've felt for years.

I'm going to continue to try the diplomatic route so there will be a long email trail of evidence when I finally can afford to bring the motherfuckin ruckus. Best of luck man. I really hope things work out better for you than they did for me.

I had my first set of blood tests that you start getting as you hit your 30s.Turns out I am prediabetic and have very low HDL. Mean while, my wife, both whom parents are diabetic, and who drinks way more refined sugar than me, is fucking fine.

It's cool that you've been able to talk with a lawyer about this stuff. I've had to suck it up and not see my children very often because I haven't been able to afford one.

Instead I've been channeling my rage into learning software engineering and web technologies. Within a few years I'm going to have full custody of both kids and their mothers are going to suddenly know how I've felt for years.

I'm going to continue to try the diplomatic route so there will be a long email trail of evidence when I finally can afford to bring the motherfuckin ruckus. Best of luck man. I really hope things work out better for you than they did for me.

I'm fortunate to have a friend in the field, but he's not in my immediate area so the advice is free but that's all I get. I'll have to find a local shyster and pony up some scrill if it comes to that.

Sucks you got boned. Good on you for staying reasonable and taking the care to compile a paper trail.

Dpends on your definition of "ultimately", I guess. Some day we'll all be stardust again, so yes.

But in the short term, maybe not so much. I fear I may soon need a custody lawyer, and if you're a father in WA that's not a good spot to be in, legally speaking.

Oh, no. :( I thought WA was a coparenting state like Oregon is. I'm sorry to hear about that.

There's no actual joint custody in WA, they have you do a "parenting plan" that the court signs off on and even though you are both legally custodial parents the state designates one parent as the primary and one as the secondary. She'll be the primary by default and the primary can legally move out of state with the child with virtually no legal recourse for me. I will not have that same right. Oregon is MUCH more equitable in such matters.

Also, if it goes to court the state will sue me for child support by default because baby girl is on state health care. I'm perfectly willing to spend every last penny I have on my child but I don't at all like the idea of being required to just cut a check with no say as to how it's spent. I understand there are plenty of shitheads out there for whom such requirements are necessary for the child's well being. I am not one of them, and though her mom is a great mother, she doesn't always have long-term big picture stuff in focus as well as I do. If the state gets involved they won't, for example, allow some of my child support to be put into an interest-bearing account for the purpose of being maybe able to afford a few years of Montessori school at the start of her educational career.

That's because child support is for day-to-day living expenses, not future savings. If you want your kid to have an educational fund, that's separate.

The thing that's pretty stupid about the idea that the non-custodial parent should have "a say" in where their child support is spent is that it ignores the fact that the custodial parent spends their money on living expenses either way. You get that, right?

I do, but the reality is that no matter what I'll be the one spending nearly 100% of the money on the kid's day-to-day living expenses even if she's only with me 3 days of the week. And I've been completely financially supporting her and babymamma since she was born. Got no problem with that. But I shouldn't have to pay for rent and bills of someone who's decided to voluntarily break up a family unit and put themselves in a financially precarious position. If she can't keep a roof over her own head she's always welcome in my home, but I'm more than willing to have full custody of the kid so fuck equating her questionable choices with my child's necessities. Basically, I'm willing to spend every last penny supporting that kid but I'm not trying to have the state tell me to cut a monthly check for babymamma support.

I get why the system is set up the way it is, but there's no reason it can't be flexible enough to recognize the difference between me and some deadbeat shitweasel.

I had my first set of blood tests that you start getting as you hit your 30s.Turns out I am prediabetic and have very low HDL. Mean while, my wife, both whom parents are diabetic, and who drinks way more refined sugar than me, is fucking fine.

On the plus side, I've lost 16 pounds since January 14th, just by following the rules.

The rules being "stuff that you do to keep from having to go full potato and inject insulin."

No matter what people's principles are when they come to other people, everybody makes exceptions for themselves. Everybody believes that they are, and deserve to be, treated like the exception.

I assume that's directed at me, I think I may not have made myself understood very well. I don't view myself as any sort of exception, I view WA's way of dealing with this stuff in the legal system as antiquated and inflexible. I'd be going for full custody if I were in a state where I had a fighting chance at it, and not out of spite or butthurt but because I really just want what's best for my child and think I am currently in a better situation to provide that for her financially and emotionally.

What in the fuck is WRONG with the whichever one of you pieces of shit did that, keeps doing it? Did your parents not show you enough love? Are you so god damned butthurt that WE didn't show enough love that you resort to cowardly attacks like that?

Listen asshole, your tiny mind will never do you any amount of good and you may as well kill yourself now. Do yourself and everyone you know a favor and jump off a bridge, you fucking loser.

ECH: I am really sorry. I can't say I know exactly how you feel, but I definitely know what it's like to have a child taken away by someone who could hardly be responsible, was in fact a raging drunk. If you ever need or want to vent, I am here.

Nah, at least my kid's mom is a great mom. But I feel like if she's gonna put herself in a position where she has to do school full time and work to pay bills that I'm better equipped to do most of the childcare right now. Also the part where I want things to remain amicable and for us both to be involved in the kid's life daily or almost-daily and I'm TERRIFIED that she's planning to move out of state when the school year is over.

As for the mole, well, if I can't follow the trail of crumbs I'll just nuke my shit from orbit and never log in again. Too little, too late, since it's apparently already cost me my family and my child a stable loving 2 parent home. So I hope you feel really good about yourself, whoever you are.

And yeah, I get that ultimately I am responsible for the consequences of my own actions. Thing is, the "actions" this is presumably a consequence of never actually happened in real life the way they did in the narrated version. That was the one thing I took artistic license with because when I wrote it the real way it seemed like a chunk of moralistic dissonance in an otherwise perfectly noir-ish real-life story.

I had my first set of blood tests that you start getting as you hit your 30s.Turns out I am prediabetic and have very low HDL. Mean while, my wife, both whom parents are diabetic, and who drinks way more refined sugar than me, is fucking fine.

On the plus side, I've lost 16 pounds since January 14th, just by following the rules.

The rules being "stuff that you do to keep from having to go full potato and inject insulin."

Yeah, I guess eating so I don't full potato myself will help me stop being the fat piece of shit I became post-Army and post-surgery.

I had my first set of blood tests that you start getting as you hit your 30s.Turns out I am prediabetic and have very low HDL. Mean while, my wife, both whom parents are diabetic, and who drinks way more refined sugar than me, is fucking fine.

On the plus side, I've lost 16 pounds since January 14th, just by following the rules.

The rules being "stuff that you do to keep from having to go full potato and inject insulin."

Yeah, I guess eating so I don't full potato myself will help me stop being the fat piece of shit I became post-Army and post-surgery.

Wouldn't hurt to pick up a test kit & strips, and use twice-daily measurements to adjust your diet to that of a type II diabetic. It certainly can't hurt you. Track it on Excel until you maintain blood sugar levels of 100-120 on the regular.

I recommend scotch and loathing. Light on the scotch, heavy on the loathing.

In other news, currently talking with a law firm about a possible consultancy position. Nothing is guaranteed yet, but they followed me on Twitter out of the blue, and responded quickly to my speculative inquiry. It probably wouldn't be enough to get out of here, but it would bolster the CV and profile, which never hurts. And money, of course.

I recommend scotch and loathing. Light on the scotch, heavy on the loathing.

In other news, currently talking with a law firm about a possible consultancy position. Nothing is guaranteed yet, but they followed me on Twitter out of the blue, and responded quickly to my speculative inquiry. It probably wouldn't be enough to get out of here, but it would bolster the CV and profile, which never hurts. And money, of course.

No matter what people's principles are when they come to other people, everybody makes exceptions for themselves. Everybody believes that they are, and deserve to be, treated like the exception.

I assume that's directed at me, I think I may not have made myself understood very well. I don't view myself as any sort of exception, I view WA's way of dealing with this stuff in the legal system as antiquated and inflexible. I'd be going for full custody if I were in a state where I had a fighting chance at it, and not out of spite or butthurt but because I really just want what's best for my child and think I am currently in a better situation to provide that for her financially and emotionally.

Unless her mother is actually abusive or dangerously incompetent, pretty much what all research has found is that what is best for your kid is some variety of shared custody with both parents making decisions cooperatively. Your best bet is doing everything in your power to make that happen. Your emotions are strong right now because of the circumstances, but hopefully once the pain of breaking up has cooled a bit, you will both be able to act rationally and cooperatively to develop a parenting plan that gives both of you both ample responsibility, and ample respite.

In related news, it turns out that somebody here has either been forwarding things I have written here to my child's mother or has been linking her to pages with my content.

:lulz:

Somebody is gonna get to see what "full potato" looks like.

That is super fucked up. Someone did that to me after my ex and I split, and it made things monumentally worse because he assumed that my venting meant that I was going to be combative, so he became combative. It was a shitfest all the way around, and I lost a friend on top of it because of her fucked-up, bullshit belief that my ex "deserved" to know what I was saying.

It's not fucking OK. Ever. It's like those fucking asswipes in the Discordian Facebook group; nasty powerless little shitstains who long to be relevant so hard that they actually try to get people fired over Facebook arguments.

What in the fuck is WRONG with the whichever one of you pieces of shit did that, keeps doing it? Did your parents not show you enough love? Are you so god damned butthurt that WE didn't show enough love that you resort to cowardly attacks like that?Listen asshole, your tiny mind will never do you any amount of good and you may as well kill yourself now. Do yourself and everyone you know a favor and jump off a bridge, you fucking loser.

ECH: I am really sorry. I can't say I know exactly how you feel, but I definitely know what it's like to have a child taken away by someone who could hardly be responsible, was in fact a raging drunk. If you ever need or want to vent, I am here.

If you recall, someone here was carrying tales when you first moved here, with that whole bullshit lying lie about a long-distance affair. So, yeah, basically, what you just said.

What in the fuck is WRONG with the whichever one of you pieces of shit did that, keeps doing it? Did your parents not show you enough love? Are you so god damned butthurt that WE didn't show enough love that you resort to cowardly attacks like that?Listen asshole, your tiny mind will never do you any amount of good and you may as well kill yourself now. Do yourself and everyone you know a favor and jump off a bridge, you fucking loser.

ECH: I am really sorry. I can't say I know exactly how you feel, but I definitely know what it's like to have a child taken away by someone who could hardly be responsible, was in fact a raging drunk. If you ever need or want to vent, I am here.

If you recall, someone here was carrying tales when you first moved here, with that whole bullshit lying lie about a long-distance affair. So, yeah, basically, what you just said.

Going ok. I'm steadily getting over my panicky freak out from a while back. My personal life has been hard, but nothing by comparison to the shit folks have been getting here. For obvious reasons I'm keeping my personal deets to myself for the forseeable future, which ain't much!

My sympathies to ECH and TGRR particularly. :evilmad: Fuck snitches!

I've been waiting to see the Pratchett special. Now that I know it's out I'll go looking. When I first heard he'd died I didn't know about the Parkinson's and his decision to... exit with dignity.

Going ok. I'm steadily getting over my panicky freak out from a while back. My personal life has been hard, but nothing by comparison to the shit folks have been getting here. For obvious reasons I'm keeping my personal deets to myself for the forseeable future, which ain't much!

My sympathies to ECH and TGRR particularly. :evilmad: Fuck snitches!

I've been waiting to see the Pratchett special. Now that I know it's out I'll go looking. When I first heard he'd died I didn't know about the Parkinson's and his decision to... exit with dignity.

ECH, I wanted to add that if I ever come across like a jerk because I disagree or contradict you about something, in the matter of child custody and coparenting in particular, I just want you to know that I am 100% in your corner and anything I say regarding this is because I want you and your kid to have the best possible outcome.

Good to be back! I'm here for the lulz and a shot at world domin... I mean peace.

Yeah.

How fare ye Nigel? :)

I am hanging in there. My mind is clearer than it's been in a year, and I can tell that a lot of circuits that were sort of hijacked for the grieving process are coming back to normal function. I can made deductive leaps almost like normal, but creativity is still inaccessible for now. We just started the last leg of my graduate experiment, so in roughly 21 days I need to have all my protocols established and be ready to move forward on tissue prep.

I kind of hate graduate school. It's designed for people without families, and, well...

Also contemplating next steps. I had more or less decided not to pursue the MD/PhD, but now I'm back around to it... or maybe just med school, since if I have an MD and an MS I don't necessarily need a PhD, unless I really want to run a lab, which I don't think I do. I just have to figure out when I'll have time to take calculus and the rest of physics.

Going ok. I'm steadily getting over my panicky freak out from a while back. My personal life has been hard, but nothing by comparison to the shit folks have been getting here. For obvious reasons I'm keeping my personal deets to myself for the forseeable future, which ain't much!

My sympathies to ECH and TGRR particularly. :evilmad: Fuck snitches!

I've been waiting to see the Pratchett special. Now that I know it's out I'll go looking. When I first heard he'd died I didn't know about the Parkinson's and his decision to... exit with dignity.

Good to be back! I'm here for the lulz and a shot at world domin... I mean peace.

Yeah.

How fare ye Nigel? :)

I am hanging in there. My mind is clearer than it's been in a year, and I can tell that a lot of circuits that were sort of hijacked for the grieving process are coming back to normal function. I can made deductive leaps almost like normal, but creativity is still inaccessible for now. We just started the last leg of my graduate experiment, so in roughly 21 days I need to have all my protocols established and be ready to move forward on tissue prep.

I kind of hate graduate school. It's designed for people without families, and, well...

Also contemplating next steps. I had more or less decided not to pursue the MD/PhD, but now I'm back around to it... or maybe just med school, since if I have an MD and an MS I don't necessarily need a PhD, unless I really want to run a lab, which I don't think I do. I just have to figure out when I'll have time to take calculus and the rest of physics.

I'm glad you're feeling at least some recovery! For my part I'm looking for my next real job and getting over a pretty bad depression. I've been walking more and trying to get myself into a healthy lifestyle.

I've been quit of herb for about 2.5 months now and slowly accepting that I was using it as a crutch to deal with emotional problems I'm beginning to work my way through.

Ah. Is cool. Anyway, the special was pretty good. I really enjoyed it, and recommend it.

I look forward to it! He and Gaiman both had their works find their way into my life at times that I really needed them. Pratchett got there first when I was a kid, Gaiman much later when I was going through a truly bleak part of my adult life.

When I heard Pratchett had passed I built a little shrine out of photocomments quoting him on a Discordian FB group. I still have the images. His shit was pretty amazing. I recently acquired his unabridged audio books to listen to on walks. His puns are worse than I remember. It's great!

ECH, I wanted to add that if I ever come across like a jerk because I disagree or contradict you about something, in the matter of child custody and coparenting in particular, I just want you to know that I am 100% in your corner and anything I say regarding this is because I want you and your kid to have the best possible outcome.

No worries, I understand that I am not in an objective head space about this shit right now and I actually really appreciate you being a voice of reason especially since you have experience with this shit. So thank you!

I just worry that it's easy to cross the line from venting about a shitty situation to sounding like some goddamn MRA asshole and I just wanted to clarify that I wasn't even remotely veering into that territory. I'll support that child above and beyond what's just necessary whether a court tells me to or not, but I'm a primate and I prefer the illusion of control y'know?

So Jewcat'sDNA Results came back in.She's pure white. So anyone from her parent's side has no trace of Native American,Black, or Jew in them. Jewcat is the first to be tainted by such inferior DNA.(if you know what I mean, and I think you do) These tests go back 30 generations which is about 540 yrs to 600 yrs.

ECH, I wanted to add that if I ever come across like a jerk because I disagree or contradict you about something, in the matter of child custody and coparenting in particular, I just want you to know that I am 100% in your corner and anything I say regarding this is because I want you and your kid to have the best possible outcome.

No worries, I understand that I am not in an objective head space about this shit right now and I actually really appreciate you being a voice of reason especially since you have experience with this shit. So thank you!

I just worry that it's easy to cross the line from venting about a shitty situation to sounding like some goddamn MRA asshole and I just wanted to clarify that I wasn't even remotely veering into that territory. I'll support that child above and beyond what's just necessary whether a court tells me to or not, but I'm a primate and I prefer the illusion of control y'know?

Honestly, I think that the loss of control is one of the biggest shocks of splitting up when there are kids involved. You lose the future you had planned, and along with that the sense of being able to control what kind of life and experiences your kid is going to have.

This might not be any kind of an option for you, but if there is a way you could convince the baby momma to hang in there, bear with you, and go to counseling together, I recommend it. Maybe you fucked up. Maybe she fucked up. The first year three years of parenthood are brutally stressful, and if you can get through them together, then you will know whether you want to stick it out longer, but at least by then there's preschool.

If not, just focus on whatever stability and control you can provide over your own situation. For me, that was all about living in the same neighborhood near the same school for their entire childhood. For you, that might look really different. Either way, if you can establish a regular parenting schedule and stick to a routine, it will make the transition easier and less uncontrolled-feeling.

Good to be back! I'm here for the lulz and a shot at world domin... I mean peace.

Yeah.

How fare ye Nigel? :)

I am hanging in there. My mind is clearer than it's been in a year, and I can tell that a lot of circuits that were sort of hijacked for the grieving process are coming back to normal function. I can made deductive leaps almost like normal, but creativity is still inaccessible for now. We just started the last leg of my graduate experiment, so in roughly 21 days I need to have all my protocols established and be ready to move forward on tissue prep.

I kind of hate graduate school. It's designed for people without families, and, well...

Also contemplating next steps. I had more or less decided not to pursue the MD/PhD, but now I'm back around to it... or maybe just med school, since if I have an MD and an MS I don't necessarily need a PhD, unless I really want to run a lab, which I don't think I do. I just have to figure out when I'll have time to take calculus and the rest of physics.

I'm glad you're feeling at least some recovery! For my part I'm looking for my next real job and getting over a pretty bad depression. I've been walking more and trying to get myself into a healthy lifestyle.

I've been quit of herb for about 2.5 months now and slowly accepting that I was using it as a crutch to deal with emotional problems I'm beginning to work my way through.

Quitting weed sounds like a really good idea for you. For some people, in some situations, it's very helpful, but for others it can just turn into its own mindfuck.

So Jewcat'sDNA Results came back in.She's pure white. So anyone from her parent's side has no trace of Native American,Black, or Jew in them. Jewcat is the first to be tainted by such inferior DNA.(if you know what I mean, and I think you do) These tests go back 30 generations which is about 540 yrs to 600 yrs.

Because the evil jews controlling the media lied to us. We now need a new nick name for Jewcat.

So far I've got the cat formerly known as Jew.

:lulz: I totally want to do 23 and me. After my mom and sister did it, and found out that not only is everything we've been told about my mom's family a lie, but also that they are spectacularly inbred Orkadians, I'd be very curious to know how much of my heritage on my dad's side is also a lie. And, what unknown weirdness might it be hiding?

Good to be back! I'm here for the lulz and a shot at world domin... I mean peace.

Yeah.

How fare ye Nigel? :)

I am hanging in there. My mind is clearer than it's been in a year, and I can tell that a lot of circuits that were sort of hijacked for the grieving process are coming back to normal function. I can made deductive leaps almost like normal, but creativity is still inaccessible for now. We just started the last leg of my graduate experiment, so in roughly 21 days I need to have all my protocols established and be ready to move forward on tissue prep.

I kind of hate graduate school. It's designed for people without families, and, well...

Also contemplating next steps. I had more or less decided not to pursue the MD/PhD, but now I'm back around to it... or maybe just med school, since if I have an MD and an MS I don't necessarily need a PhD, unless I really want to run a lab, which I don't think I do. I just have to figure out when I'll have time to take calculus and the rest of physics.

I'm glad you're feeling at least some recovery! For my part I'm looking for my next real job and getting over a pretty bad depression. I've been walking more and trying to get myself into a healthy lifestyle.

I've been quit of herb for about 2.5 months now and slowly accepting that I was using it as a crutch to deal with emotional problems I'm beginning to work my way through.

Quitting weed sounds like a really good idea for you. For some people, in some situations, it's very helpful, but for others it can just turn into its own mindfuck.

Yeah. I love the stuff and tend to favor it as an intoxicant anyway because I don't drink much due to a history of alcoholism on my mom's side and not particularly liking the effects in excess. Right now it's not the right thing to be doing. It's a TERRIBLE thing to make a priority in my life, and it had become exactly that.

Considering how things currently are in the world I have no business being stoned all the time anyway. There's shit to do and weed is a liability.

So Jewcat'sDNA Results came back in.She's pure white. So anyone from her parent's side has no trace of Native American,Black, or Jew in them. Jewcat is the first to be tainted by such inferior DNA.(if you know what I mean, and I think you do) These tests go back 30 generations which is about 540 yrs to 600 yrs.

One of my teammates got into an argument with one of the Security teams in the company I support. The argument was over whether or not they were doing their jobs, and over something they suspected was a minor vulnerability. I decided to point out the full extent of the back door, and test its limits. It turns out, it has none whatsoever.

The company uses an application that blocks scripts universally that aren't company approved. There are options within this security application (Which is managed by the team my teammate was in an argument with) to whitelist applications based on hashes generated based on raw App data, the directory the application is in, or based on the name of the file.

Well, they had a rule that allowed ALL applications to be run as long as the file was in a folder of a specific name. The fucked up part was, they didn't specify a path, only a folder name. That means ANYONE can make a folder with this specific name (This means all basic users too) and run any script they want. This folder can be created on the Desktop, or in any other directory.

When I showed this to my Teammate, he decided to get into a pissing contest with this security team over it. Shortly after, the security team invented a type of access and process to cover up this back door. They immediately added my teammates to a security group that would give them basic access to bypass their system, and claimed that this was the only reason our little exploit worked, stating that we all had that access the whole time. Shortly after that, the head of the security department of the company decided to email us all about some "changes" that were going to be made to their folder name whitelisting rule.

The disturbing part is, someone is likely profiting quite a bit from this back door, as the company is a Financial Firm. Either that, or they just don't wanna make themselves look bad. But because of the level of people involved in the cover-up, it's quite clear that any persistence into the matter will likely lead to our company being fired and us losing the account. I would still keep my job, because I've had a chance to demonstrate my usefulness, but there are plenty of new people that have not gotten that chance yet, so it would be selfish to push it any further. But it's definitely leading me to question some aspects of my morality. I can't risk other peoples' well-beings, but I also can't just let them get away with this.

Good to be back! I'm here for the lulz and a shot at world domin... I mean peace.

Yeah.

How fare ye Nigel? :)

I am hanging in there. My mind is clearer than it's been in a year, and I can tell that a lot of circuits that were sort of hijacked for the grieving process are coming back to normal function. I can made deductive leaps almost like normal, but creativity is still inaccessible for now. We just started the last leg of my graduate experiment, so in roughly 21 days I need to have all my protocols established and be ready to move forward on tissue prep.

I kind of hate graduate school. It's designed for people without families, and, well...

Also contemplating next steps. I had more or less decided not to pursue the MD/PhD, but now I'm back around to it... or maybe just med school, since if I have an MD and an MS I don't necessarily need a PhD, unless I really want to run a lab, which I don't think I do. I just have to figure out when I'll have time to take calculus and the rest of physics.

I'm glad you're feeling at least some recovery! For my part I'm looking for my next real job and getting over a pretty bad depression. I've been walking more and trying to get myself into a healthy lifestyle.

I've been quit of herb for about 2.5 months now and slowly accepting that I was using it as a crutch to deal with emotional problems I'm beginning to work my way through.

Any good with Windows OSes and talking to smartest-guy-in-the-room types over the phone?

Good to be back! I'm here for the lulz and a shot at world domin... I mean peace.

Yeah.

How fare ye Nigel? :)

I am hanging in there. My mind is clearer than it's been in a year, and I can tell that a lot of circuits that were sort of hijacked for the grieving process are coming back to normal function. I can made deductive leaps almost like normal, but creativity is still inaccessible for now. We just started the last leg of my graduate experiment, so in roughly 21 days I need to have all my protocols established and be ready to move forward on tissue prep.

I kind of hate graduate school. It's designed for people without families, and, well...

Also contemplating next steps. I had more or less decided not to pursue the MD/PhD, but now I'm back around to it... or maybe just med school, since if I have an MD and an MS I don't necessarily need a PhD, unless I really want to run a lab, which I don't think I do. I just have to figure out when I'll have time to take calculus and the rest of physics.

I'm glad you're feeling at least some recovery! For my part I'm looking for my next real job and getting over a pretty bad depression. I've been walking more and trying to get myself into a healthy lifestyle.

I've been quit of herb for about 2.5 months now and slowly accepting that I was using it as a crutch to deal with emotional problems I'm beginning to work my way through.

Any good with Windows OSes and talking to smartest-guy-in-the-room types over the phone?

I can phone-schmmoze rather well indeed. My actual technical expertise is very limited, but I can operate a Windows PC. I'd just as soon do something much more physical though. If I were to take up a sit-down job I'd probably prefer to get back into electronic assembly/repair. Circuit boards don't generally get huffy. I appreciate the thought, thanks!

I'm in the process of looking for work in the LaX area again. Now that I'm clean there's several placement agencies out there that I can work through until I find something that I like. Some of my friends are willing to put me up short-term and my car is registered out there anyway. I was hoping for a job here on the East side of the state electrical wiring assembly for about $16/hr starting but the employment agency's rep has not followed though on several things and I suspect that they're dicking around.

I'm not sure exactly where I'm going to wind up, but I'd prefer LaX so I can take courses at a dojo out there a friend of mine teaches at. I'm hoping that I can teach myself better habits by training my body.

Punching through wooden planks is the true aim of any martial arts. Better habits is just a positive side effect.

Suddenly rather motivated to get on that, but I'm looking at learning something more like systema, wherein you learn to splatter a liver all over the inside of a torso.

After I get my body into much better condition I want to enter fight competitions.I'm nearly 35. If I dedicate now by the time I'm 38 I could start a fighting career. I'm in need of a controlled outlet and a measurable goal in life. Academia isn't my thing, so I'm going for a business education, athletics, and artistic performance. It's something to Do anyway.

You'd think this shit would stop surprising me eventually, but once again something I loved so dearly has become something that just reminds me of my biggest failure.

So. Peace out, PD. It's been a wild ride these last 13 years. We had some times, huh?

Damn, man. You're one of my favorite posters on this forum :(

I hope whoever did that shit gets a 2-liter inserted anally.

Maybe the Open Bar thread should be moved to a users-only area? Not sure if that would prevent anything though as it could just as easily be a butthurt member or a poptard.

It's probably wise to recall that Open Bar is essentially open to the public, and not post anything here that is truly sensitive in the "if the wrong person saw this it could damage my life" way.

At the same time, whoever sent ECH's gf links to here is a special kind of shitweasel, because it has to be someone who knows who he is here as well as knowing his real name, probably through Facebook, and has been masquerading as his friend. That is a particularly vile form of maggot, and while I know vile people lurk here, I sincerely hope that this particular piece of bum puke dies a slow, lonely and painful death. Backstabbers are below leeches in the tree of life, and anyone who would deliberately instigate drama and disruption IN A BABY'S HOME just out of petty malice is less than the shit I scrape from my boot after a walk in the park.

The two brothers live together. S. still has no job and is done with school. His record is fucked because O. ratted him out to the police re:weed. Germans don't take too kindly to weed. Now S's career option (pilot, police officer, something like that) is POOF GONE.

So, S is still getting Gov Kindergeld. His mother is using it on payments for S's brand new car! S can't pay his bills, asked for money, she said no, he threatens to sue her.

HA ha ha. Now, to be fair, she is enabling him. to be more fair, S and O are piles of human garbage. And if you're lurking and sharing info, FEEL FREE TO TELL THEM THAT IF YOU CAN.

I recommend scotch and loathing. Light on the scotch, heavy on the loathing.

In other news, currently talking with a law firm about a possible consultancy position. Nothing is guaranteed yet, but they followed me on Twitter out of the blue, and responded quickly to my speculative inquiry. It probably wouldn't be enough to get out of here, but it would bolster the CV and profile, which never hurts. And money, of course.

Looks like I'm consulting. Just got to negotiate renumeration, but so far the terms look good.

I recommend scotch and loathing. Light on the scotch, heavy on the loathing.

In other news, currently talking with a law firm about a possible consultancy position. Nothing is guaranteed yet, but they followed me on Twitter out of the blue, and responded quickly to my speculative inquiry. It probably wouldn't be enough to get out of here, but it would bolster the CV and profile, which never hurts. And money, of course.

Looks like I'm consulting. Just got to negotiate renumeration, but so far the terms look good.

Annoyed that medievalpoc gets paid for their blog, but I guess I support it if they're getting classes to accurately identify a tudor painting.

I like the blog idea, just didn't like the blog person.

Why and also why?

The blog is about art history and depictions of people of color, which is a neat thing to learn about. I didn't like her because tumblr drama and general inaccuracies about the paintings she posted and the shut downs of people pointing out she was wrong. Things like the definition of medieval and saying things were from England when they're from France.

Old drama involved her and an account called racismschool doxxing chaotically-neutral, just stupid crap. There was a thread here about about tumblr a while back that followed that thing.

She's getting money to be an authority on something she's wrong on plus the general being a jerk, that was my annoyance. I can be less annoyed over old drama and inaccuracies if she's accurate now.

I mean the topic is interesting and it's good to be covered, I just want it to be accurate.

Apparently, she also outright fabricates things. As an example, she photoshopped something to make King David darker and said he was black instead of Jewish.

Ah I remember something similar about her arguing about the whiteness of Jewish people, which is actually interesting because that involves a location, a time period, and who you are talking to. Instead it was two camps with one arguing yes and the other arguing no. Maybe it was the same item, can't recall.

I know the results of people posting when she's wrong or screenshotting nasty comments from her was her claiming to be oppressed and they want the blog silenced.

Annoyed that medievalpoc gets paid for their blog, but I guess I support it if they're getting classes to accurately identify a tudor painting.

I like the blog idea, just didn't like the blog person.

Why and also why?

The blog is about art history and depictions of people of color, which is a neat thing to learn about. I didn't like her because tumblr drama and general inaccuracies about the paintings she posted and the shut downs of people pointing out she was wrong. Things like the definition of medieval and saying things were from England when they're from France.

Old drama involved her and an account called racismschool doxxing chaotically-neutral, just stupid crap. There was a thread here about about tumblr a while back that followed that thing.

She's getting money to be an authority on something she's wrong on plus the general being a jerk, that was my annoyance. I can be less annoyed over old drama and inaccuracies if she's accurate now.

I mean the topic is interesting and it's good to be covered, I just want it to be accurate.

History is written just invented by the victors people with the most subscribers who are batshit insane.

I'm not saying you're wrong, just that we're going to see so much more of this shit over the next few years Icke and infowars are going to start looking rational in comparison.

FORGET ABOUT THE FLOURIDE IN THE BABY BLANKETS! IT'S THE DMT LACED VACCINES MADE TO SELL YOU OLD COPIES OF THE NEW TESTAMENT IN YOUR INTRACRANIAL DATAFEED THAT YOU REALLY NEED TO WRITE YOUR CORPORATE SURVIVAL BOARD ABOUT!!!!!

And now a thinkpiece retrocog about the original gay frogs and how we stopped them from out breeding humanity during the Pre-Imperium era.

It's metabolic, but they haven't put their finger on what, exactly, is happening. It's pretty dramatic, though... as in THE WHOLE TREATMENT GROUP made full recoveries from a disease that killed 55% of the control mice.

It's metabolic, but they haven't put their finger on what, exactly, is happening. It's pretty dramatic, though... as in THE WHOLE TREATMENT GROUP made full recoveries from a disease that killed 55% of the control mice.

It's metabolic, but they haven't put their finger on what, exactly, is happening. It's pretty dramatic, though... as in THE WHOLE TREATMENT GROUP made full recoveries from a disease that killed 55% of the control mice.

Woah, can they test on diabetic mice? Curious if it's the high sugar in the blood stream or something produced.

It's metabolic, but they haven't put their finger on what, exactly, is happening. It's pretty dramatic, though... as in THE WHOLE TREATMENT GROUP made full recoveries from a disease that killed 55% of the control mice.

Woah, can they test on diabetic mice? Curious if it's the high sugar in the blood stream or something produced.

They can and probably will. These are results that the visiting scientist literally just analyzed from her side-project... she essentially just said "Hmmmm I wonder" and ran this small side-study with about 20 mice per group. Since the results were so dramatic, she now has a whole new avenue of study to pursue. At least one PhD will be made on this, I am betting.

It's metabolic, but they haven't put their finger on what, exactly, is happening. It's pretty dramatic, though... as in THE WHOLE TREATMENT GROUP made full recoveries from a disease that killed 55% of the control mice.

Just had a tender rejected from obvious corruption and collusion. Very pissed off.

If I knew the client was that bent I'd have done better than a paltry 2 grand bribe. For anyone thinking that the UK isn't corrupt as fuck this is just another one to add to the pile I've seen over the years.

FORGET ABOUT THE FLOURIDE IN THE BABY BLANKETS! IT'S THE DMT LACED VACCINES MADE TO SELL YOU OLD COPIES OF THE NEW TESTAMENT IN YOUR INTRACRANIAL DATAFEED THAT YOU REALLY NEED TO WRITE YOUR CORPORATE SURVIVAL BOARD ABOUT!!!!!

And now a thinkpiece retrocog about the original gay frogs and how we stopped them from out breeding humanity during the Pre-Imperium era.

FORGET ABOUT THE FLOURIDE IN THE BABY BLANKETS! IT'S THE DMT LACED VACCINES MADE TO SELL YOU OLD COPIES OF THE NEW TESTAMENT IN YOUR INTRACRANIAL DATAFEED THAT YOU REALLY NEED TO WRITE YOUR CORPORATE SURVIVAL BOARD ABOUT!!!!!

And now a thinkpiece retrocog about the original gay frogs and how we stopped them from out breeding humanity during the Pre-Imperium era.

:horrormirth:

Sweet merciful fuck!

Worst part is I know for a fact that they offer vaccines without preservatives for the paranoids now, and for no other reason. My last flu vaccination for my work at the hospital offered a range of options. See that COSTS more. The hospital can charge more for it, among the other "options". I just took a straight up intramuscular injection, no frills. Now I see why there's otherwise intelligent folks pushing this.

Straight up cash money hustle. So what if a few parents go so crazy their kids get deadly illnesses? There's a fat short-term profit to be made on the more "reasonable" paranoids.

Yesterday my advisor informed me that once classes are over, which is next term, I'll be expected to be in the lab about 50 hours a week. My first emotion was relief. I mean, fuck, just 50 hours? And I don't have to teach over the summer? HELL YEAH.

I'm moving and getting myself re-settled back in the LaX area today. I've been advised to get a social worker to help me through the process of getting signed up for school. As i made very little money last year and have ZERO student debt it's very likely that I can get that ball rolling right away. Going to start with Tech school and business courses. From there I may go to a University. It's time that I stop trying to do everything myself and take up the responsibility for my formal education that I've been avoiding since childhood in favor of "doing what I want".

It's not going to be easy, but I'm committed and not going to have to do it alone.

I'm moving and getting myself re-settled back in the LaX area today. I've been advised to get a social worker to help me through the process of getting signed up for school. As i made very little money last year and have ZERO student debt it's very likely that I can get that ball rolling right away. Going to start with Tech school and business courses. From there I may go to a University. It's time that I stop trying to do everything myself and take up the responsibility for my formal education that I've been avoiding since childhood in favor of "doing what I want".

It's not going to be easy, but I'm committed and not going to have to do it alone.

It's a good plan, and a good start! The benefits of structured higher education are immense, and one of the greatest ones is learning how to be more effective at teaching yourself.

I'm moving and getting myself re-settled back in the LaX area today. I've been advised to get a social worker to help me through the process of getting signed up for school. As i made very little money last year and have ZERO student debt it's very likely that I can get that ball rolling right away. Going to start with Tech school and business courses. From there I may go to a University. It's time that I stop trying to do everything myself and take up the responsibility for my formal education that I've been avoiding since childhood in favor of "doing what I want".

It's not going to be easy, but I'm committed and not going to have to do it alone.

It's a good plan, and a good start! The benefits of structured higher education are immense, and one of the greatest ones is learning how to be more effective at teaching yourself.

Agreed. Clearly my life long methods and habits have left me... lacking certain basic necessities of cognition. I'm also very focused on getting my physical health into normal range for what is probably the first time since middle school. The two things are part of the same basic problem of not accepting help or formal structure in my life.

I WANT to do good in this world before I leave it. If I sit back just wanting it or try to be effective without being ready on every level I've been neglecting I will at best have no effect, at worst fuck all of the things up.

Eventually I think I'll open a thread here as a sort of progress journal and help line. We'll see what's up after I do some running around tomorrow. I intend to hit the Dept of workforce development and after that walk into the local tech school and see about getting in contact with a councilor to get me started.

Then job hunting depending on the above outcomes. It's my understanding that sometimes schools will actually provide part time employment to dedicated starting students. My existing skill set could qualify me to do quite a bit for them, maybe even tutor on electronic assembly or something, IDK. We'll see what's up!

Yesterday I went to the local Tech School and got myself signed up to meet with an admissions councilor later today. Then I went on down to the Department of Workforce Development and got registered. It so happened that a class was scheduled in use of a program that that tests personality type, aptitude, and functions as an occupational interest assessment. The aptitude tests were particularly grueling timed tests and I was a bit humbled by my math results. Also I felt disoriented for hours after until I got a bit of a nap in late that afternoon. Muhbrains are out of shape in addition to the rest of my body, but I look forward to the challenge of getting better on that.

I made what I think will be a very important connect with the test administrator and class teacher. It was just he and I at first and I got to talk with him about my past and reasons for being there seeking help some. He is a licensed councilor in addition to the other things he does for the department and I think my earnest expression of my difficulties and situation struck a chord with him. I expect to be seeing him again as he offered to help me navigate my way through things and gave me his card.

I probably won't open a thread just for this. I'm at a point where discussing my personal life on this board seems a bit unwise. I will definitely post my major moments of progress here in the open bar from time to time. Right now I need to be making some calls to try and track down a copy of my HS diploma.

As a side note I've been thinking about doing audio readings of things from here for quite some time and had a bit of a chat with QG on the matter yesterday. If anybody here is willing to let me experiment with their work or has a suggestion for what may be a fun "kopyleft" piece to work with I'd like to hear it!

It may be a bit before my life settles into a stable situation, but I should be able to at least do a couple and attach them to posts in the Super Duper Secrets part of the board for folks to give feedback on. All attribution will be given when I read the title and author first. Any such that may be useful for sound sampling or whatever you technosavvy spags can do I'm comfortable with as long as anyone who grants consent for me to do a reading of their work is.

Just don't you try using my voice biometric data to sign me up for anything shady!

PD.com forums: a disorganized echo-chamber full of concordian, Greyfaced radical left-wing nutjobs who honestly believe they can take down imaginary Nazis by distributing flyers. They are highly-suspicious of all newcomers and hostile to almost everyone, including themselves. The only thing they don't take seriously is Discordianism.

PD.com forums: a disorganized echo-chamber full of concordian, Greyfaced radical left-wing nutjobs who honestly believe they can take down imaginary Nazis by distributing flyers. They are highly-suspicious of all newcomers and hostile to almost everyone, including themselves. The only thing they don't take seriously is Discordianism.

PD.com forums: a disorganized echo-chamber full of concordian, Greyfaced radical left-wing nutjobs who honestly believe they can take down imaginary Nazis by distributing flyers. They are highly-suspicious of all newcomers and hostile to almost everyone, including themselves. The only thing they don't take seriously is Discordianism.

Yesterday I went to the local Tech School and got myself signed up to meet with an admissions councilor later today. Then I went on down to the Department of Workforce Development and got registered. It so happened that a class was scheduled in use of a program that that tests personality type, aptitude, and functions as an occupational interest assessment. The aptitude tests were particularly grueling timed tests and I was a bit humbled by my math results. Also I felt disoriented for hours after until I got a bit of a nap in late that afternoon. Muhbrains are out of shape in addition to the rest of my body, but I look forward to the challenge of getting better on that.

I made what I think will be a very important connect with the test administrator and class teacher. It was just he and I at first and I got to talk with him about my past and reasons for being there seeking help some. He is a licensed councilor in addition to the other things he does for the department and I think my earnest expression of my difficulties and situation struck a chord with him. I expect to be seeing him again as he offered to help me navigate my way through things and gave me his card.

I probably won't open a thread just for this. I'm at a point where discussing my personal life on this board seems a bit unwise. I will definitely post my major moments of progress here in the open bar from time to time. Right now I need to be making some calls to try and track down a copy of my HS diploma.

PD.com forums: a disorganized echo-chamber full of concordian, Greyfaced radical left-wing nutjobs who honestly believe they can take down imaginary Nazis by distributing flyers. They are highly-suspicious of all newcomers and hostile to almost everyone, including themselves. The only thing they don't take seriously is Discordianism.

Yesterday I went to the local Tech School and got myself signed up to meet with an admissions councilor later today. Then I went on down to the Department of Workforce Development and got registered. It so happened that a class was scheduled in use of a program that that tests personality type, aptitude, and functions as an occupational interest assessment. The aptitude tests were particularly grueling timed tests and I was a bit humbled by my math results. Also I felt disoriented for hours after until I got a bit of a nap in late that afternoon. Muhbrains are out of shape in addition to the rest of my body, but I look forward to the challenge of getting better on that.

I made what I think will be a very important connect with the test administrator and class teacher. It was just he and I at first and I got to talk with him about my past and reasons for being there seeking help some. He is a licensed councilor in addition to the other things he does for the department and I think my earnest expression of my difficulties and situation struck a chord with him. I expect to be seeing him again as he offered to help me navigate my way through things and gave me his card.

I probably won't open a thread just for this. I'm at a point where discussing my personal life on this board seems a bit unwise. I will definitely post my major moments of progress here in the open bar from time to time. Right now I need to be making some calls to try and track down a copy of my HS diploma.

Don't forget the magic of the Academia Ghetto Thread!

To my shame I must admit that I had avoided it for no rational reason other than the word "academic" as not relevant to my interests.

This has changed. I had an admission councilor meeting today and I'm inclined to one of a few different things as we when through their course lists. I'm thinking an apprenticeship program, 2 year pre-university courses, or maybe learning accounting as a start to understanding business. I have a bunch of thinking to be doing and will not be letting myself keep my old aversions. I shall read that thread from the start a piece at a time.

Yesterday I went to the local Tech School and got myself signed up to meet with an admissions councilor later today. Then I went on down to the Department of Workforce Development and got registered. It so happened that a class was scheduled in use of a program that that tests personality type, aptitude, and functions as an occupational interest assessment. The aptitude tests were particularly grueling timed tests and I was a bit humbled by my math results. Also I felt disoriented for hours after until I got a bit of a nap in late that afternoon. Muhbrains are out of shape in addition to the rest of my body, but I look forward to the challenge of getting better on that.

I made what I think will be a very important connect with the test administrator and class teacher. It was just he and I at first and I got to talk with him about my past and reasons for being there seeking help some. He is a licensed councilor in addition to the other things he does for the department and I think my earnest expression of my difficulties and situation struck a chord with him. I expect to be seeing him again as he offered to help me navigate my way through things and gave me his card.

I probably won't open a thread just for this. I'm at a point where discussing my personal life on this board seems a bit unwise. I will definitely post my major moments of progress here in the open bar from time to time. Right now I need to be making some calls to try and track down a copy of my HS diploma.

Don't forget the magic of the Academia Ghetto Thread!

To my shame I must admit that I had avoided it for no rational reason other than the word "academic" as not relevant to my interests.

This has changed. I had an admission councilor meeting today and I'm inclined to one of a few different things as we when through their course lists. I'm thinking an apprenticeship program, 2 year pre-university courses, or maybe learning accounting as a start to understanding business. I have a bunch of thinking to be doing and will not be letting myself keep my old aversions. I shall read that thread from the start a piece at a time.

Yesterday I went to the local Tech School and got myself signed up to meet with an admissions councilor later today. Then I went on down to the Department of Workforce Development and got registered. It so happened that a class was scheduled in use of a program that that tests personality type, aptitude, and functions as an occupational interest assessment. The aptitude tests were particularly grueling timed tests and I was a bit humbled by my math results. Also I felt disoriented for hours after until I got a bit of a nap in late that afternoon. Muhbrains are out of shape in addition to the rest of my body, but I look forward to the challenge of getting better on that.

I made what I think will be a very important connect with the test administrator and class teacher. It was just he and I at first and I got to talk with him about my past and reasons for being there seeking help some. He is a licensed councilor in addition to the other things he does for the department and I think my earnest expression of my difficulties and situation struck a chord with him. I expect to be seeing him again as he offered to help me navigate my way through things and gave me his card.

I probably won't open a thread just for this. I'm at a point where discussing my personal life on this board seems a bit unwise. I will definitely post my major moments of progress here in the open bar from time to time. Right now I need to be making some calls to try and track down a copy of my HS diploma.

Don't forget the magic of the Academia Ghetto Thread!

To my shame I must admit that I had avoided it for no rational reason other than the word "academic" as not relevant to my interests.

This has changed. I had an admission councilor meeting today and I'm inclined to one of a few different things as we when through their course lists. I'm thinking an apprenticeship program, 2 year pre-university courses, or maybe learning accounting as a start to understanding business. I have a bunch of thinking to be doing and will not be letting myself keep my old aversions. I shall read that thread from the start a piece at a time.

It's hard to tell by seeing my words here, but I'm excited.

Like this

:cramstipated:

It is exciting!

Welcome to the nerdery. :)

No longer will I be merely a thuggish slacker on the outside looking in wistfully at the nerds in their happy pursuit of knowledge. I finally realized that the door was always unlocked... better late than never!

Yesterday I went to the local Tech School and got myself signed up to meet with an admissions councilor later today. Then I went on down to the Department of Workforce Development and got registered. It so happened that a class was scheduled in use of a program that that tests personality type, aptitude, and functions as an occupational interest assessment. The aptitude tests were particularly grueling timed tests and I was a bit humbled by my math results. Also I felt disoriented for hours after until I got a bit of a nap in late that afternoon. Muhbrains are out of shape in addition to the rest of my body, but I look forward to the challenge of getting better on that.

I made what I think will be a very important connect with the test administrator and class teacher. It was just he and I at first and I got to talk with him about my past and reasons for being there seeking help some. He is a licensed councilor in addition to the other things he does for the department and I think my earnest expression of my difficulties and situation struck a chord with him. I expect to be seeing him again as he offered to help me navigate my way through things and gave me his card.

I probably won't open a thread just for this. I'm at a point where discussing my personal life on this board seems a bit unwise. I will definitely post my major moments of progress here in the open bar from time to time. Right now I need to be making some calls to try and track down a copy of my HS diploma.

Don't forget the magic of the Academia Ghetto Thread!

To my shame I must admit that I had avoided it for no rational reason other than the word "academic" as not relevant to my interests.

This has changed. I had an admission councilor meeting today and I'm inclined to one of a few different things as we when through their course lists. I'm thinking an apprenticeship program, 2 year pre-university courses, or maybe learning accounting as a start to understanding business. I have a bunch of thinking to be doing and will not be letting myself keep my old aversions. I shall read that thread from the start a piece at a time.

It's hard to tell by seeing my words here, but I'm excited.

Like this

:cramstipated:

It is exciting!

Welcome to the nerdery. :)

No longer will I be merely a thuggish slacker on the outside looking in wistfully at the nerds in their happy pursuit of knowledge. I finally realized that the door was always unlocked... better late than never!

I didn't get my GED until I was 40, so I wholeheartedly support this line of reasoning.

PD.com forums: a disorganized echo-chamber full of concordian, Greyfaced radical left-wing nutjobs who honestly believe they can take down imaginary Nazis by distributing flyers. They are highly-suspicious of all newcomers and hostile to almost everyone, including themselves. The only thing they don't take seriously is Discordianism.

After the inglorious, catastrophic failure of my hard drive, my new desktop has finally arrived. So far, so good. Not looking forward to restoring all my setting and programs...but it's gotta be done, I suppose.

In the last 2 1/2 hours, I had a nice walk, Made fettucine alfredo, and took a shower. I feel like I was sufficiently adult and good about it. Yay.

:banana:

Acting adult is hard.

There comes a point at which you get so deep into it that you have the realization that there is no way out, and no one to adult for you if you should find yourself unable to adult. There is no back-up plan. Just you, being the adult.

In the last 2 1/2 hours, I had a nice walk, Made fettucine alfredo, and took a shower. I feel like I was sufficiently adult and good about it. Yay.

:banana:

Acting adult is hard.

There comes a point at which you get so deep into it that you have the realization that there is no way out, and no one to adult for you if you should find yourself unable to adult. There is no back-up plan. Just you, being the adult.

In the last 2 1/2 hours, I had a nice walk, Made fettucine alfredo, and took a shower. I feel like I was sufficiently adult and good about it. Yay.

:banana:

Acting adult is hard.

There comes a point at which you get so deep into it that you have the realization that there is no way out, and no one to adult for you if you should find yourself unable to adult. There is no back-up plan. Just you, being the adult.

It's terrifying.

It is, and the perceived failure to adult by other people's standards, despite perhaps one's own limitations, feels so grueling and shitty and shameful.

In the last 2 1/2 hours, I had a nice walk, Made fettucine alfredo, and took a shower. I feel like I was sufficiently adult and good about it. Yay.

:banana:

Acting adult is hard.

There comes a point at which you get so deep into it that you have the realization that there is no way out, and no one to adult for you if you should find yourself unable to adult. There is no back-up plan. Just you, being the adult.

It's terrifying.

It's even worse when you have to adult for the peop;e that used to adult for you at the same time as adulting for a tiny human.

It's knackering AND terrifying. And you don't even get a fucking "thank you".

In the last 2 1/2 hours, I had a nice walk, Made fettucine alfredo, and took a shower. I feel like I was sufficiently adult and good about it. Yay.

:banana:

Acting adult is hard.

There comes a point at which you get so deep into it that you have the realization that there is no way out, and no one to adult for you if you should find yourself unable to adult. There is no back-up plan. Just you, being the adult.

It's terrifying.

It's even worse when you have to adult for the peop;e that used to adult for you at the same time as adulting for a tiny human.

It's knackering AND terrifying. And you don't even get a fucking "thank you".

More likely, yelled at. :horrormirth: My dad's Alzheimer's is advancing and we may need to move him in with us. It's fucking horrible. At least my spawn are old enough to help.

In the last 2 1/2 hours, I had a nice walk, Made fettucine alfredo, and took a shower. I feel like I was sufficiently adult and good about it. Yay.

:banana:

Acting adult is hard.

There comes a point at which you get so deep into it that you have the realization that there is no way out, and no one to adult for you if you should find yourself unable to adult. There is no back-up plan. Just you, being the adult.

It's terrifying.

It's even worse when you have to adult for the peop;e that used to adult for you at the same time as adulting for a tiny human.

It's knackering AND terrifying. And you don't even get a fucking "thank you".

More likely, yelled at. :horrormirth: My dad's Alzheimer's is advancing and we may need to move him in with us. It's fucking horrible. At least my spawn are old enough to help.

Oh man, my dad and his brothers are trying to figure out how to gently tell his parents that maybe they shouldn't drive. They're in their 80's. That and trying to get an alzheimer's stove that auto shuts off when you walk away because well, grandma has attention issues and grandpa is getting into this weird grandma needs to always cook and automatically know when he's hungry thing.

Through grim experience, I can tell you that "gently" isn't an option at a certain point. With shit like that if you're thinking it, it already needs to stop. It's better to have a huge argument and lay down the law than let them potentially injure/kill themselves or others.

It sucks, but by the time they're able to admit it to themselves, damage has already been done. Just to their vehicle, if you're lucky. If you're not then you've got a whole heap of shit to sort out for someone who can't deal with these kinds of consequences.

I console myself by thinking that in a few hundred years whats left of humanity will mock this era mercilessly for spending so much time, money and effort on say, sports, compared to dealing with, for one thing, diseases. 21C - Advanced enough to know better, still too dumb to bother.

Through grim experience, I can tell you that "gently" isn't an option at a certain point. With shit like that if you're thinking it, it already needs to stop. It's better to have a huge argument and lay down the law than let them potentially injure/kill themselves or others.

It sucks, but by the time they're able to admit it to themselves, damage has already been done. Just to their vehicle, if you're lucky. If you're not then you've got a whole heap of shit to sort out for someone who can't deal with these kinds of consequences.

This. There's a reversal needs to take place where the previous parental authority figure needs to be handled as if they were a toddler. Hum and haw too long and you'll find them chewing on a toaster cable. Dementia is watching the people you love become bits of the people you love. Not sure about alzheimers but we've got one in suspected early stages so I'll probably find out soon enough.

In the last 2 1/2 hours, I had a nice walk, Made fettucine alfredo, and took a shower. I feel like I was sufficiently adult and good about it. Yay.

:banana:

Acting adult is hard.

There comes a point at which you get so deep into it that you have the realization that there is no way out, and no one to adult for you if you should find yourself unable to adult. There is no back-up plan. Just you, being the adult.

It's terrifying.

It's even worse when you have to adult for the peop;e that used to adult for you at the same time as adulting for a tiny human.

It's knackering AND terrifying. And you don't even get a fucking "thank you".

More likely, yelled at. :horrormirth: My dad's Alzheimer's is advancing and we may need to move him in with us. It's fucking horrible. At least my spawn are old enough to help.

Oh man, my dad and his brothers are trying to figure out how to gently tell his parents that maybe they shouldn't drive. They're in their 80's. That and trying to get an alzheimer's stove that auto shuts off when you walk away because well, grandma has attention issues and grandpa is getting into this weird grandma needs to always cook and automatically know when he's hungry thing.

My dad is totally not supposed to be driving, but he drove himself over here Monday morning.

If we do end up having him move in here, we will be putting a kitchenette in the basement with one of those stoves.

I console myself by thinking that in a few hundred years whats left of humanity will mock this era mercilessly for spending so much time, money and effort on say, sports, compared to dealing with, for one thing, diseases. 21C - Advanced enough to know better, still too dumb to bother.

No shit! We are fucking IDIOTS. One of the most infuriating things is that there is some evidence that Alzheimers may have a root that is strongly influenced by human behavior, but we don't know what it is. Because humans are pretty much barely above dog-level intelligence, it is hard to get funding to study anthropogenic roots of disease.

I console myself by thinking that in a few hundred years whats left of humanity will mock this era mercilessly for spending so much time, money and effort on say, sports, compared to dealing with, for one thing, diseases. 21C - Advanced enough to know better, still too dumb to bother.

No shit! We are fucking IDIOTS. One of the most infuriating things is that there is some evidence that Alzheimers may have a root that is strongly influenced by human behavior, but we don't know what it is. Because humans are pretty much barely above dog-level intelligence, it is hard to get funding to study anthropogenic roots of disease.

I console myself by thinking that in a few hundred years whats left of humanity will mock this era mercilessly for spending so much time, money and effort on say, sports, compared to dealing with, for one thing, diseases. 21C - Advanced enough to know better, still too dumb to bother.

No shit! We are fucking IDIOTS. One of the most infuriating things is that there is some evidence that Alzheimers may have a root that is strongly influenced by human behavior, but we don't know what it is. Because humans are pretty much barely above dog-level intelligence, it is hard to get funding to study anthropogenic roots of disease.

I've said for a while that if 10% (FFS, even 1%) of football transfer fees or Hollywood film budgets was mandatory to be put to medical research/care, the average life expectancy would probably be past 100 by now. And that's just looking at the past 30 odd years. Instead we let this shit continue because big explosions and paying morons millions to kick a ball is apparently a better use of resources.

Dog level seems generous. A lot of people I encounter wouldn't rate above a fucking goldfish. Hells, more than a couple of posters here would lose a battle of wits against your average carp. You know who you are. Actually due to dunning Kruger you probably don't, you fucking idiots.

I console myself by thinking that in a few hundred years whats left of humanity will mock this era mercilessly for spending so much time, money and effort on say, sports, compared to dealing with, for one thing, diseases. 21C - Advanced enough to know better, still too dumb to bother.

No shit! We are fucking IDIOTS. One of the most infuriating things is that there is some evidence that Alzheimers may have a root that is strongly influenced by human behavior, but we don't know what it is. Because humans are pretty much barely above dog-level intelligence, it is hard to get funding to study anthropogenic roots of disease.

I've said for a while that if 10% (FFS, even 1%) of football transfer fees or Hollywood film budgets was mandatory to be put to medical research/care, the average life expectancy would probably be past 100 by now. And that's just looking at the past 30 odd years. Instead we let this shit continue because big explosions and paying morons millions to kick a ball is apparently a better use of resources.

Dog level seems generous. A lot of people I encounter wouldn't rate above a fucking goldfish. Hells, more than a couple of posters here would lose a battle of wits against your average carp. You know who you are. Actually due to dunning Kruger you probably don't, you fucking idiots.

Goldfish do at least have rudimentary problem-solving skills.

But seriously, dog problem-solving and reasoning can be estimated to range from about 60-85 on an IQ scale, taking into consideration that dogs have almost none of the cortex that predicts future outcomes and so can't plan ahead at all. IQ is based on a normal distribution with a human average of 100, the distribution mean. Below 85 is considered cognitively impaired, above 115 is considered intellectually gifted. That's one standard deviation in each direction. Most of the people here are one to two standard deviations above the mean, as far as I can tell, with maybe a couple people who are more than two.

Roughly 78% of people are within one standard deviation from the mean. That's what we're dealing with. Not to sound like an elitist prick, which is an easy hole to fall into when discussing reasoning skills, but the general lack of intellectual reasoning ability in the majority of the population means that we will probably never, ever get even the small fraction of funding for science that could significantly improve the lives and health of everyone, because sportsball is fun.

On the plus side, I suspect with a bit of mangling and expansion between our comments there, there's a decent big words to be had.

I could definitely see this being massaged into something readable... but I'm not sure whether it would be particularly inspiring. It would be nice if we could create something that inspires people to put their trust in people who are smarter to them and have dedicated their careers to making life better for everyone.

Some thoughts:-Riding a bike may be a skill that you never forget, but it's no less nerve-wracking and harrowing.-Potholes.-Stopping is hard because my feet don't touch the ground.-Potholes.-If I can relax my grip for a few seconds, it's really pleasant.-FUCKING POTHOLES ARE TERRIFYING.

I didn't fall, but god damn there are a lot of potholes in my neighborhood.

Some thoughts:-Riding a bike may be a skill that you never forget, but it's no less nerve-wracking and harrowing.-Potholes.-Stopping is hard because my feet don't touch the ground.-Potholes.-If I can relax my grip for a few seconds, it's really pleasant.-FUCKING POTHOLES ARE TERRIFYING.

I didn't fall, but god damn there are a lot of potholes in my neighborhood.

Some thoughts:-Riding a bike may be a skill that you never forget, but it's no less nerve-wracking and harrowing.-Potholes.-Stopping is hard because my feet don't touch the ground.-Potholes.-If I can relax my grip for a few seconds, it's really pleasant.-FUCKING POTHOLES ARE TERRIFYING.

I didn't fall, but god damn there are a lot of potholes in my neighborhood.

Some thoughts:-Riding a bike may be a skill that you never forget, but it's no less nerve-wracking and harrowing.-Potholes.-Stopping is hard because my feet don't touch the ground.-Potholes.-If I can relax my grip for a few seconds, it's really pleasant.-FUCKING POTHOLES ARE TERRIFYING.

I didn't fall, but god damn there are a lot of potholes in my neighborhood.

I've been commuting by bicycle for much more of my adult life than I have driven. All those things have lost their terror. But cars still try to run me over on the reg. That never stops.

My voice is killing me after all that streaming yesterday. I don't know how these "pro-streamers" do 10 hour stints or whatever.

Hydration and warming up, also whole throat is muscle, make it buff, inject steroids, swallow nails.

Chew broken glass for breakfast just to be mean. And starbursts. I use lots of starburst fruit chews. You know why they are so juicy? The chemicals in the candy are a natural irritant and your mouth makes massive amounts of saliva in an attempt to dilute the irritant. I suggest cutting a fruit chew into fourths and eating only a little when you pause from time to time. Helps to flatten it out ahead of time.

My voice is killing me after all that streaming yesterday. I don't know how these "pro-streamers" do 10 hour stints or whatever.

Hydration and warming up, also whole throat is muscle, make it buff, inject steroids, swallow nails.

Chew broken glass for breakfast just to be mean. And starbursts. I use lots of starburst fruit chews. You know why they are so juicy? The chemicalscitric acid (you fucking moron) in the candy are a natural irritant and your mouth makes massive amounts of saliva in an attempt to dilute the irritant. I suggest cutting a fruit chew into fourths and eating only a little when you pause from time to time. Helps to flatten it out ahead of time.

My voice is killing me after all that streaming yesterday. I don't know how these "pro-streamers" do 10 hour stints or whatever.

Hydration and warming up, also whole throat is muscle, make it buff, inject steroids, swallow nails.

Chew broken glass for breakfast just to be mean. And starbursts. I use lots of starburst fruit chews. You know why they are so juicy? The chemicalscitric acid (you fucking moron) in the candy are a natural irritant and your mouth makes massive amounts of saliva in an attempt to dilute the irritant. I suggest cutting a fruit chew into fourths and eating only a little when you pause from time to time. Helps to flatten it out ahead of time.

I'm about 70% certain this is actually RP on a fresh batch of questionable stimulants.

The 30% uncertainty is due to it possibly being a not so fresh batch.

Nah, this one is younger and dumber than Ron Paul. The other one is definitely RP or an RP clone, though. I suspect that the Libertarian forums just churn them out like an assembly-line, all indoctrinated and ready to get in Internet fights.

It's something to do with the nanny wall at work, I think. When I try to post in that one sub, it just blanks out whatever I've written and goes to a new post screen. Used to happen across the whole forum. Now it only happens in there.

Just got an email from a student asking me for the linear regression equation.

These are science majors, y'all. Science majors.

We're so fucked.

Tell them it's 58008 upside down and backwards. SCIENCE!

I had one email me because the lab write up calls for four tables, but she only had three tables. That is because she failed to recognize the first table, which is helpfully captioned "Table 1" and contains the experimental design.

Let me repeat that: IT CONTAINS THE EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN. She literally could not have conducted the experiment without it.

It's just an extremely simple math thing -- like, beginning algebra -- that absolutely everyone is supposed to know how to do before starting the first term of Principles.

It's now the second term.

Also, being that far in they should know how to look it up. I literally forgot what linear regression was, knew I should know it, and simply used the internet to get me to the wikipedia article on how to do linear regression.

It's just an extremely simple math thing -- like, beginning algebra -- that absolutely everyone is supposed to know how to do before starting the first term of Principles.

It's now the second term.

Also, being that far in they should know how to look it up. I literally forgot what linear regression was, knew I should know it, and simply used the internet to get me to the wikipedia article on how to do linear regression.

Yeah, that's the amazing thing. She should have been able, at the very least, to look it up.

I had another student just not do part of his homework, because he couldn't find the email I sent to the whole class about class data a week before the assignment was due. Most likely because it was in his junk mail folder. The part that is a head-scratcher for me is that he didn't look in his junk mail folder or email me asking about it; he just skipped it, and left a note in its place explaining that he couldn't do it because he never got the email.

I'm sorry to have disappeared after reappearing (and even posting the quotes from Feyerabend, must look into that), suddenly got very busy, still am, but it's subsiding. I hope it's alright to post a video here, heard this yesterday, never heard of the guy before, but this song is positively Discordian to my mind... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6zD1WveH3xI (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6zD1WveH3xI)

So I don't have a lot of friends. Can't be arsed with most people. Probably less than a dozen on this stupid planet I give a flying fuck about. Last night one of them killed himself.

:sad: Wow man... that's terrible. Are you going to be ok?

Yeah, I'll be okay. Fuck all else for it. Derek quit. Sure he had his reasons. Two surviving musketeers gonna hook up this weekend, fall off the wagon and maybe punch the crap out a pub or two in his honour. He was a good guy stuck in a shit life. He'll be missed.

So I don't have a lot of friends. Can't be arsed with most people. Probably less than a dozen on this stupid planet I give a flying fuck about. Last night one of them killed himself.

:sad: Wow man... that's terrible. Are you going to be ok?

Yeah, I'll be okay. Fuck all else for it. Derek quit. Sure he had his reasons. Two surviving musketeers gonna hook up this weekend, fall off the wagon and maybe punch the crap out a pub or two in his honour. He was a good guy stuck in a shit life. He'll be missed.

Fair enough. Everyone has their limit, sad as it is. Make a mark or two in his name!

There was a recent thing in the news about a panda managing to kill a goat. Maybe it was a combo of smart panda and dumb goat.

Pandas will eat meat if they find it, it's how they bait traps for tagging wild ones.

That aside pandas manage to eat bamboo with having a gut set up like a carnivore and only extract energy from bamboo due to bacteria in their gut. They didn't even get the nice efficient bacteria to do it. From that they evolved a sloth like metabolism and tiny organs.

For unknown reasons, I love teaching but I hate presenting. I think I'm just worried when presenting to a roomful of PhDs that everyone will be like "wutever ur dumb and ur research is dumb and pointless, garter snakes whatever crazy garter snake endocrine lady".

For unknown reasons, I love teaching but I hate presenting. I think I'm just worried when presenting to a roomful of PhDs that everyone will be like "wutever ur dumb and ur research is dumb and pointless, garter snakes whatever crazy garter snake endocrine lady".

You're going to be great and they'll not think you're a crazy garter snake endocrine lady.

For unknown reasons, I love teaching but I hate presenting. I think I'm just worried when presenting to a roomful of PhDs that everyone will be like "wutever ur dumb and ur research is dumb and pointless, garter snakes whatever crazy garter snake endocrine lady".

You're going to be great and they'll not think you're a crazy garter snake endocrine lady.

Aw. :) Just as I was being all ragey and bitter about a few incompetents in my class, one of my students from last term emailed me to say that she loved my lab last term, and wants to be in my section next term.

HEART HEART HEART HEART HEART.

I remember this one, she is super hardworking and great. It's funny, my favorite students are almost never the high-score earners, but the ones who work really hard to master the materials and ask a lot of questions.

Been working at 5-string banjo for a few years now and really feel like I am getting somewhere.

I can do basic claw-hammer just fine, it's really easy actually. Now, after much effort, I can just about sing and finger-pick at the same time, which is SUPER RAD.

People make fun of ukuleles, but 10 years of playing those dinky little things have translated into a baseline competency in other string instruments.

My brother plays a mean banjo. Learned a lot of the old Appalachian songs, too, the ones with the weird tunings.

He was very into recommending the Earl Scruggs instruction books for people who wanted to learn [/borderline unsolicited advice]

Thanks! I didn't realize he had books. I will definitely check them out.

I have not yet learned the Scruggs method. For some reason my brain doesn't naturally take to it, like claw-hammer. So far, I have just been picking by ear. More accurately, there are a few songs that have been ricocheting around my head and speakers and I have been trying to pick them from memory.

The downside to this is I play the same two songs over and over and over. I learned a new one yesterday, which is such a wonderful break from the monotony.

So, due to me mentioning this on my work appraisal, the boss man himself emailed me to assure my that while my assistance on security and health & safety issues was appreciated, it certainly was not needed and to, politely, buzz off.

Unfortunately for him, this week someone installed a padlock on the emergency fire exit to this building, and neglected to tell any of the students the code, or put up any signs to that effect. Unfortunately for my manager and the operations manager, who is nominally in charge of health and safety, both of them were copied into that email and were present on site since the lock was installed, and have not seemed to have any issue with the possibility of 200 students burning to death for no good reason.

Actually, fuck the hse. Just been called about a decision that should have been a serious prohibition notice (failed explosion) and it's been classed as no fault. I know the firm and I'm damn sure there's a lot of fucking faults.

Oh for a UK institution that isn't corrupt and incompetent. I'm stunned. I can't even start to cover how much of a major fuckup this one was.

Yeah, it's nice to know at least one other person is thinking along similar lines as me. I was writing my article for the law firm people this morning, about what happened in Kabul and quite frankly it's shocking. They hit a military hospital, next to the US embassy, in central Kabul. And ISIS in Afghanistan is nothing like ISIS in Syria and Iraq. They barely control territory, everybody hates them...yet they were able to pull this off?

Yeah, it's nice to know at least one other person is thinking along similar lines as me. I was writing my article for the law firm people this morning, about what happened in Kabul and quite frankly it's shocking. They hit a military hospital, next to the US embassy, in central Kabul. And ISIS in Afghanistan is nothing like ISIS in Syria and Iraq. They barely control territory, everybody hates them...yet they were able to pull this off?

I thought the method was a bit odd. I'm no expert of course, but the use of a bomber and 4 gunmen seemed like a more specifically targeted sort of method to me. I wondered if they had primary targets in mind. Sort of a "kill these specific people, then generally just kill until you catch a martyrdom" when you're not exactly sure where the targets will be.

Alternatively they only had resources for 1 bomb and are trying (successfully) to distinguish themselves...

I had no idea it was so close to a bunch of embassies and was a military hospital. Makes me wonder if maybe they had insider help. That would be most upsetting. Perhaps someone in Afghanistan's administration sees an opportunity and has made some very bad allies to help. I'm done wildly speculating, but that's some disturbing shit.

Could I have some input on this from my betters, please? https://foreignpolicy.com/2017/03/08/wikileaks-has-joined-the-trump-administration/ (https://foreignpolicy.com/2017/03/08/wikileaks-has-joined-the-trump-administration/) Is this likely to be a realistic assessment? (I mean apart from the foul language, which makes it quite clear that this is something of a partisan effort.)

Could I have some input on this from my betters, please? https://foreignpolicy.com/2017/03/08/wikileaks-has-joined-the-trump-administration/ (https://foreignpolicy.com/2017/03/08/wikileaks-has-joined-the-trump-administration/) Is this likely to be a realistic assessment? (I mean apart from the foul language, which makes it quite clear that this is something of a partisan effort.)

Max Boot's a neocon, general asshole and long time critic of the Tea Party/Trump wing of the party. He writes a lot about foreign policy, but he doesn't have any specific expertise, access or knowledge regarding Wikileaks and Trump.

THAT SAID, it turns out Trump adviser Roger Stone was in contact with "Guccifer 2.0", the alleged DNC hacker and suspected FSB sockpuppet, and it also turns out that UKIP leader and noted Trump supporter Nigel Farage is in close contact with Assange.

Assange has said he would leak info on Trump's tax returns if he was presented with it...but it is interesting that hacks on Republican figures, such as Colin Powell's emails, were released on the DCLeaks website and not via Wikileaks - only the DNC and Podesta hacks got that treatment. The RNC has claimed it has not been breached by hackers, which I find somewhat unbelievable.

And then there's the timing of the most recent CIA release by Wikileaks. The timeframe from the tools suggest that the hack occured last year, and US investigators are working under that assumption. The files also appear to be more curated and organised for relevance than previous leaks, such as the infamous AKP Turkey emails, which successfully turned Wikileaks into the largest database of Turkish spam emails and viruses in the world for a brief time. That the leak, which seems to have been prepared for a while, occurs as the US intelligence community is turning up the heat on Trump seems...very beneficial for painting the CIA as nefarious actors.

Also worth mentioning that Trump - who is usually keen to jump on Twitter and opine about everything under the sun - stayed silent on the CIA leak for 24 hours, before issuing a press statement via Spicer.

In other news, dehydration is no joke. I know this, I know it kills people, but I don't think I realised just how low on fluids I was getting on my day when I finish shift. Between the messed up sleep patterns and whatever, it's way too easy to lose track of your intake.

Here's some crazy for you - a Russian oligarch (http://www.rightwingwatch.org/post/religious-rights-billionaire-russian-ally-wants-to-make-putin-a-tsar-literally/) who wants to make Putin into a Tsar also bankrolls French, German, Italian and Austrian far-right political groups, and helps fund the war in the Donbass.

So, after pointing out that padlocking an emergency exit without a code being provided to residents is kinda sorta against the law, three things have happened:

1) I had a perfunctory reply from the headmaster2) I had a reply from my department manager chewing me a new one for not reporting the problem to my line manager in the first instance...the same line manager who had been here for 2 days with the issue present, and had not acted on it3) Someone took down the sign I made next to the gate, giving residents the access code in the case of emergency.

Unfortunately for whatever idiot is involved in point 3, there is a camera looking directly at that spot, recording 24/7. And I have access to the stored video.

So, after pointing out that padlocking an emergency exit without a code being provided to residents is kinda sorta against the law, three things have happened:

1) I had a perfunctory reply from the headmaster2) I had a reply from my department manager chewing me a new one for not reporting the problem to my line manager in the first instance...the same line manager who had been here for 2 days with the issue present, and had not acted on it3) Someone took down the sign I made next to the gate, giving residents the access code in the case of emergency.

Unfortunately for whatever idiot is involved in point 3, there is a camera looking directly at that spot, recording 24/7. And I have access to the stored video.

It seems like these people are working awfully hard to kill as many of the students as possible.

Just too lazy to follow the damn law, which despite the whining from the Daily Mail columnists, is mostly common fucking sense.

I found video of the other night shift leader deliberately removing the code. Now written an email to my manager regarding it, and I'm copying everything to a personal email address. If I don't see swift action on this, I'm going to the HSE, and if they don't do something about it, the Times Educational Supplement. They love a good story which allows them to bash stupidly expensive private schools their reading demographic cannot afford.

In other news, dehydration is no joke. I know this, I know it kills people, but I don't think I realised just how low on fluids I was getting on my day when I finish shift. Between the messed up sleep patterns and whatever, it's way too easy to lose track of your intake.

Oh shit yeah, dehydration WILL FUCK YOUR SHIT UP.

You wouldn't think that just not drinking water would be as brutal as it is.

I got called on stage during a live taping of one of my favorite podcasts on Friday.

I got asked about cockrings and had to be honest...so that's a thing.

I think the show I'm on is going to be behind a paywall, but the free eps are swell and come with a bonus of 100% less my embarrassed stammering:

http://pardcast.com/Never Not Funny by Jimmy Pardo

My mind is spinning to figure out what you could possibly have said about cockrings that would be embarrassing by Portland standards. I am desperately curious now.

It's not so much having talked about cockring experiences in front of the couple hundred people in the Portland audience...it's having done it in front of the dozen or so staff members and house comics at the club. Should it be less embarrassing than anything I said or did a month ago when I got so shitfaced I had to leave a show? No. Will it be? Oh yes...and if it weren't otherwise, they'll all make sure it is.

I got called on stage during a live taping of one of my favorite podcasts on Friday.

I got asked about cockrings and had to be honest...so that's a thing.

I think the show I'm on is going to be behind a paywall, but the free eps are swell and come with a bonus of 100% less my embarrassed stammering:

http://pardcast.com/Never Not Funny by Jimmy Pardo

My mind is spinning to figure out what you could possibly have said about cockrings that would be embarrassing by Portland standards. I am desperately curious now.

It's not so much having talked about cockring experiences in front of the couple hundred people in the Portland audience...it's having done it in front of the dozen or so staff members and house comics at the club. Should it be less embarrassing than anything I said or did a month ago when I got so shitfaced I had to leave a show? No. Will it be? Oh yes...and if it weren't otherwise, they'll all make sure it is.

I bet the governors list is public and at least 12 people. Of which at least a couple will have an axe to grind for this clown. At least 1 should be terrified of possible legal implications, particularly after they've been notified as they can be held liable to a degree as I understand it.

Could I have some input on this from my betters, please? https://foreignpolicy.com/2017/03/08/wikileaks-has-joined-the-trump-administration/ (https://foreignpolicy.com/2017/03/08/wikileaks-has-joined-the-trump-administration/) Is this likely to be a realistic assessment? (I mean apart from the foul language, which makes it quite clear that this is something of a partisan effort.)

Max Boot's a neocon, general asshole and long time critic of the Tea Party/Trump wing of the party. He writes a lot about foreign policy, but he doesn't have any specific expertise, access or knowledge regarding Wikileaks and Trump.

THAT SAID, it turns out Trump adviser Roger Stone was in contact with "Guccifer 2.0", the alleged DNC hacker and suspected FSB sockpuppet, and it also turns out that UKIP leader and noted Trump supporter Nigel Farage is in close contact with Assange.

Assange has said he would leak info on Trump's tax returns if he was presented with it...but it is interesting that hacks on Republican figures, such as Colin Powell's emails, were released on the DCLeaks website and not via Wikileaks - only the DNC and Podesta hacks got that treatment. The RNC has claimed it has not been breached by hackers, which I find somewhat unbelievable.

And then there's the timing of the most recent CIA release by Wikileaks. The timeframe from the tools suggest that the hack occured last year, and US investigators are working under that assumption. The files also appear to be more curated and organised for relevance than previous leaks, such as the infamous AKP Turkey emails, which successfully turned Wikileaks into the largest database of Turkish spam emails and viruses in the world for a brief time. That the leak, which seems to have been prepared for a while, occurs as the US intelligence community is turning up the heat on Trump seems...very beneficial for painting the CIA as nefarious actors.

So, the policy at the university is that there are no make-up labs or quizzes unless you have a medical issue or are on a sports team (which comes with a form you have to bring in), in which case you have to give ample notice. I had a student email me that she was going to be missing class that day, and I gave her the usual spiel about how there are no make-up labs but the lowest score will be dropped. Then, a week later, I get an email from her coach asking me to excuse her absence. This is college... there are no "excused" and "inexcused" absences, you either show up and do the work or you don't, and if you need to make up a lab, you make arrangements to make up the lab.

So I forwarded it to the professor, who told me to let her make it up.

Tomorrow is the last lab of the term, there is literally no way for her to make up the lab she missed. That would have required being proactive, and making arrangements AT THE TIME. Not on the day of the lab, when it's the last lab of the week.

Being proactive is for chumps. She doesn't need hard work, she has SPORTS.

Since 'MERKA values sports above academics, she'll probably be just fine, and I'll probably end up being forced to let her turn in a lab report for a lab she never attended, which for anyone else would be cheating.

Sounds about right, I heard a lot of similar stories from my American friends who were doing a year study or Masters in the UK. I didn't realise how much money there was in college sport, and how much it corrupted the academic system, until they started telling me their personal experiences with the system.

So, I'm walking down the street to the store, right, and I stop and say hello to a rottweiler puppy I've made friends with like I normally do if he's outside and there's no truck in the driveway. Only this time, his owner drives up as I'm petting the pupper through the fence, and I'm all :C because people can get kind of miffy about strangers petting their dogs, which you know, they have good reason to. So I give pupper one last scratch and turn to apologize to his owner as he gets out of the truck. "Sorry!" I say, "sorry, I just love your dog, he's such a sweety."

So then

he goes to the gate

and UNLOCKS AND OPENS IT

and I'm like :o IS THIS HAPPENING

and the puppy is like :O DAD KAN I PLEI WIF HER

and then I got to hug him and wrestle a bit before I went to the store. His name is Rusty. #DogsCountAsFriends

Over the weekend for the first time in a long time I found myself face to face with excessive thoughts and very strong impulses towards autotermination. I've been sliding downward for a while now and not necessarily dealing with it as such. I'm the stubborn sort of fool that has problems accepting my problems for what they are and worse about getting real help when it means I'd have to ask for it.

I found myself halfway into a sincere plan before I realized that I was in over my head. I'm fortunate, fucking outright just lucky, to have had a good friend that recognized this in me and insisted that I seek help through the county and this morning I got signed up for counciling, meds, insurance assistance, and may well wind up on disability benefits when all of the follow up appointments on Monday are over with.

I have a bad way of pretending everything is fine right up until I have a total breakdown, and the truth is I've been pretending for years now. I came face to face with this while trying to do the job I managed to get for myself doing for a private uniform and medical laundry service what I had done for the hospital that I snapped and walked out of a year ago almost to the day. I don't care to describe my feelings or thoughts here in any detail other than to say that I was pretty well done with everything and didn't even have the concern for the impact such a thing might have on others left in me at one point. It was by far the worst I've felt for my adult life in terms of depression and though I'm not out of the woods I'm getting help now that I denied myself for years PURELY out of asinine pride.

I don't know where my life is going now other than that for now my "job" is to do whatever it takes to get well and to follow through with my appointments and the process of getting myself whatever aid I can in the meantime. For now I'm not an immediate threat to myself or others and am coping with the state of things as well as I can until I get on meds of some sort. The folks at the health and human services department gave me a bunch of folks to call if I were to slide further or feel like I'm about to lose control. Being willing to accept help was a very big hurdle for me, but I have decided finally that if I want to live, and I do, that I don't have the power to do it alone anymore, and probably never really did so much as limp along while pretending everything is just fine, thanks.

I'll probably try to write something more up in my personal thread later more relevant to my story, but I figured that as an update from where I was or thought I was headed I should mention something to the folks here because you guys are all MEANINGFUL to me and I count no small number of you friends.

So I'm continuing on. We shall see where it goes. It's been a pretty damn long day and I need to rest, but I'll stay in touch.

So, I'm walking down the street to the store, right, and I stop and say hello to a rottweiler puppy I've made friends with like I normally do if he's outside and there's no truck in the driveway. Only this time, his owner drives up as I'm petting the pupper through the fence, and I'm all :C because people can get kind of miffy about strangers petting their dogs, which you know, they have good reason to. So I give pupper one last scratch and turn to apologize to his owner as he gets out of the truck. "Sorry!" I say, "sorry, I just love your dog, he's such a sweety."

So then

he goes to the gate

and UNLOCKS AND OPENS IT

and I'm like :o IS THIS HAPPENING

and the puppy is like :O DAD KAN I PLEI WIF HER

and then I got to hug him and wrestle a bit before I went to the store. His name is Rusty. #DogsCountAsFriends

This morning I have been watching a hilarious argument unfold, in which a German guy is patiently explaining to a Welsh woman that well, actually, Wales is a principality. He says that this is a fact because the head of state is a prince.

He even linked to this helpful Wikipedia article as proof:

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Principality_of_Wales

I totally can't tell whether he's trolling, but this is making my morning.

Hang in there, TWJ! I'm glad you're getting help. You can talk to us, I think that there are many people here who have been in a similar headspace.

Hang tough, my friend.

I'm doing my best. Thanks Nigel. It's difficult for me to open up, but I will as things progress.

Vonnegut had a line in Galapagos that struck a bit too true to the effect that "the soul" is the part of you that realizes when your brain is not working correctly anymore.

At least now I can try getting back into the habit of reading books and trying to build an otherwise healthy lifestyle. If I find myself on disability, which is pretty likely, I'll be able to go to school when I have my other factors more stabilized, but that's going to be a fair ways further down the line now.

I know I haven't had much in the way of interaction with you here (and well, it's been a rough 2 years or so, so mostly been in lurk status as it is), but glad to hear you're still with us. One of my best friends killed himself almost a year and a half ago, and it really tore so many lives apart - probably a lot more than he expected. The effects are still being felt, and will certainly be for some time to come.

I get in a bad way myself sometimes, even since then, but it's in a big way the thought of the people who will be left behind picking up the pieces, whether you believe it at the time or not, that makes it not worth it. It may sound cliché, but hang in there and know that you do matter in this world.

Why the hell don't we address women as "mister"? It's derived from "master", and the etymology indicates nothing about gender. http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=master

Gender etymology varies depending on the region, Dutch, French, and so on have different ways of handling to it to English.Measter still has the eastern european feminine form which adds an a, meastra. The french just use maître, but for a lot of words they only distinguish with Le/La. The post grad (at least any I've seen) uses master regardless of the gender but technically Mistress should also be applicable.

Doctor who had a fun play on this two years ago where a villain The Master regenerated as a woman

The Master:(https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/236x/a9/9c/7f/a99c7f55bd57462681ba4fc0c43eca19.jpg)

The Mistress:(http://cdn1.sciencefiction.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/Screen-Shot-2014-11-09-at-9.34.49-AM.png)

For TWJ: 100% of the time, this guy cheers me up https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3dpNS2l7jNs

I appreciate the thought. I think I saw him once. He was amusing at the time. The blunt truth right now is that I kinda want to clip his weird, ET fingers off and see if he can still do his "yoga" without them. Not to be all edgy, but just looking at him is like nails on a chalkboard irritating just now.

To be fair if he's still in a good mood at that point I'd be more than a little terrified of him... I strongly suspect that there may be such a thing as weaponized laughter and joy.

I know I haven't had much in the way of interaction with you here (and well, it's been a rough 2 years or so, so mostly been in lurk status as it is), but glad to hear you're still with us. One of my best friends killed himself almost a year and a half ago, and it really tore so many lives apart - probably a lot more than he expected. The effects are still being felt, and will certainly be for some time to come.

I get in a bad way myself sometimes, even since then, but it's in a big way the thought of the people who will be left behind picking up the pieces, whether you believe it at the time or not, that makes it not worth it. It may sound cliché, but hang in there and know that you do matter in this world.

There is a terrible point where the effects on others can stop mattering as sad as that is to say. Thanks for the encouraging words. My hope is that with some proper medical attention I can get back to something like functionality again. I've had bipolar disorder since childhood and have been stubbornly unmedicated for nearly 8 years now.

It's kinda funny because I nearly didn't get help. The county only takes 4 new people for triage every Wed morning at 7:30am and usually they're full by 7. I and my friend arrived right at 7:30. A person had to bow out for undisclosed reasons that particular morning and it was me and another person who had arrived pretty much at the same time as "overflow" told to wait to see if someone that had gotten there before us backed out. I do believe that I held the door for them in Wisconsinite fashion. I suggested a coin flip figuring it both fair and a 50/50 chance out of something I'd rather not have done on an insane level. Who am I to say who needed the help more? The admitting nurse probably thought I was just being polite at the time and said she thought it was a good idea.

I won the toss. I hate to admit that on a disturbing level I was almost angry even though I showed no sign of it and resigned myself to having three strokes of random chance tell me that yes this was happening if you include my good fortune to have a friend both able to see through my shit and insist on me being there in the first place.

I want a chair like Captain Pike's. Except my lights are labeled "NO" and "SHUT UP". If this is provided, I will grimace just like Captain Pike at all times, AND I will also plot your deaths, just like he would.

My sympathies to both Roger and TWJ. I'm in nowhere as near as dire a state, but due to a combination of the aforementioned dehydration and another low dietary requirement, I've had a few very miserable days sleep wise. I finished my work shift Thursday morning, slept 4 hours, as usual...and that's the last time I slept. I've more or less got the dehydration licked, but I'm still working on the diet side of things.

My sympathies to both Roger and TWJ. I'm in nowhere as near as dire a state, but due to a combination of the aforementioned dehydration and another low dietary requirement, I've had a few very miserable days sleep wise. I finished my work shift Thursday morning, slept 4 hours, as usual...and that's the last time I slept. I've more or less got the dehydration licked, but I'm still working on the diet side of things.

I've been living mostly on trail mix, vitamin supplements, and tortillas with peanut butter, a bit of honey, and a banana rolled up in it for a couple weeks now to conserve my meager resources. Occasionally I eat a cold can of ravioli because heating it makes it taste more horrible.

... but it's not tinned vegan haggis. Even the destitute here have a certain grace afforded to them in at least that such things don't happen here in the USofA.

I hope you find some sort of food fit for human consumption over there.

I want a chair like Captain Pike's. Except my lights are labeled "NO" and "SHUT UP". If this is provided, I will grimace just like Captain Pike at all times, AND I will also plot your deaths, just like he would.

Can my death have some pizzazz and maybe a high splatter quotient? I want the city to try getting dried fat, blood, and implausible amounts of glitter out of the cracks in the concrete, in remembrance.

Been out of sorts the past couple days with a nasty stomach bug and am just now seeing this.

TWJ: I am extremely glad you're still here. There are a few posters I feel special rapport with on these boards, for whatever reason, and you're one of them.

Roger, I wish I had something less trite to say that to "hang in there." Ideally, I hope you're able to heal to the point where sleeping in a sitting position is not necessary. If that is not possible, I hope you are able to at least adapt to your body's needs in a way that is more comfortable for you.

For anyone else whose maladies and/or stressors I appear to have glossed over, I hope things improve for you as well. Keep on keeping on!

Why the hell don't we address women as "mister"? It's derived from "master", and the etymology indicates nothing about gender. http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=master

Gender etymology varies depending on the region, Dutch, French, and so on have different ways of handling to it to English.Measter still has the eastern european feminine form which adds an a, meastra. The french just use maître, but for a lot of words they only distinguish with Le/La. The post grad (at least any I've seen) uses master regardless of the gender but technically Mistress should also be applicable.

Doctor who had a fun play on this two years ago where a villain The Master regenerated as a woman

Mistress has negative connotations in English, and besides, is a gendered term when it doesn't need to be gendered. I would prefer mister.

Most of PD would be horrified by the amount of time I have spent in the bathroom today. Well, maybe not Roger. But practically everyone else. I swear I have lost a stone in weight just through shitting.

Most of PD would be horrified by the amount of time I have spent in the bathroom today. Well, maybe not Roger. But practically everyone else. I swear I have lost a stone in weight just through shitting.

Fun fact: Since I have gone on a diabetic diet and reduced food intake, my craps are no longer a thing of legend.

Most of PD would be horrified by the amount of time I have spent in the bathroom today. Well, maybe not Roger. But practically everyone else. I swear I have lost a stone in weight just through shitting.

Fun fact: Since I have gone on a diabetic diet and reduced food intake, my craps are no longer a thing of legend.

I feel as if part of me has died.

:lulz:

The Man From Tucson stared thoughtfully into the the toilet bowl he had spent a small fortune in filthy cash on. The expectations of the 2017 crapping infrastructure requirements had been based on estimates and projections from the previous two years, and it had seemed best to make an investment where it really counted. The damn thing was engineered for an unthinkable volume requirement and through sheer decadent water volume alone cost over $1.50 just to flush in the Arizona desert.

There were handholds and hydraulically adjustable foot supports. A laser volume detection lattice would begin a pre-flush agitation if the bowl levels indicated a particularly high density factor based on ancient calculations dating back to the time of Archimedes and the countless, unlauded great Roman engineers that had kept The Empire flowing properly for over 500 years right up until Constantine fucked everything up by adopting Christianity and their suspicion of mathematics and biological squeamishness led to a centuries long decline. The damn thing was the very best that industrial science and ancient wisdom could produce, and yet after The Changes all The Good Reverend Roger had excreted had been a single simple, perfectly proportioned loaf without variation of texture or color and mass insufficient to even register on the digital console panel above the tissue extruder and bidet initialization levers.

Other people, "normal" people might have sighed, but Roger's left eyelid merely twitched slightly as he realized that he would have to initiate the flushing sequence manually because the damn thing for all its sophisticated whatnots wasn't even aware that he had poomped at all, and he had no more to contribute. He was quite sure. And so with emptiness in his guts that was more than the usual feeling post-void, but also somehow less, he turned the key that lifted the clear sapphire plate away from the green led-backlit button for the manual flush override command and pressed it. This prompted the readout on the console to display: NO EXCRETION DETECTED. BEGIN FLUSH?

Roger's eye twitched once more as he entered the confirmation code causing the 12 pre-flush jets to begin to prime and the vanadium steel safety lid to close. TGRR realized that 2017 was surely going to be a rather tedious year indeed as he entered the decontamination room and washed hands that barely even needed it before re-entering the rest of the house.

Most of PD would be horrified by the amount of time I have spent in the bathroom today. Well, maybe not Roger. But practically everyone else. I swear I have lost a stone in weight just through shitting.

I'll raise you with "I bet you have no idea how totally a tiny human can coat themselves, the surroundings and you in shit".

A brutal round of food poisoning would have been preferable for me. At least that can be contained to a degree.

Most of PD would be horrified by the amount of time I have spent in the bathroom today. Well, maybe not Roger. But practically everyone else. I swear I have lost a stone in weight just through shitting.

I'll raise you with "I bet you have no idea how totally a tiny human can coat themselves, the surroundings and you in shit".

A brutal round of food poisoning would have been preferable for me. At least that can be contained to a degree.

:lol: Been there.

The monkey and I have two new kittens now! I was wanting to wait until I had the house cleaner, but my cousin said they had to go to the county pound in a day or two if nobody took them, so I have them now. They are napping under my dresser and adorable.

Well you'll be happy to hear I'm considering a solo playthrough of Dragon Age: Inquisition (once I decide whether I prefer to go with an assassin Archer or a Knight-Enchanter), and will probably start making Skyrim Requiem videos again once I finish rebuilding and testing my mod list.

Well you'll be happy to hear I'm considering a solo playthrough of Dragon Age: Inquisition (once I decide whether I prefer to go with an assassin Archer or a Knight-Enchanter), and will probably start making Skyrim Requiem videos again once I finish rebuilding and testing my mod list.

Oh, yes!

It's probably kind of weird, but sometimes I just put them on and let them play in lieu of music while I grade or work on stuff.

I once again have a job in my field. It comes out to the same amount as I made on the mountain, but I am only in charge of myself, and I work 2nd shift, when it's only the robots and me (and a handful of production employees, but they aren't my problem.)

The best part is, the job is making accommodations for my health issues, and has gold-plated insurance. Horrible ancient man and advanced 6 axis robots. I'm gonna squee.

I once again have a job in my field. It comes out to the same amount as I made on the mountain, but I am only in charge of myself, and I work 2nd shift, when it's only the robots and me (and a handful of production employees, but they aren't my problem.)

The best part is, the job is making accommodations for my health issues, and has gold-plated insurance. Horrible ancient man and advanced 6 axis robots. I'm gonna squee.

Eh, I think it might finally be curtains for me and this site: php just went full HTML. I am writing this onnwhat looks like 2pt font in unformatted cells. This is why I no longer write about breakdowns.

I once again have a job in my field. It comes out to the same amount as I made on the mountain, but I am only in charge of myself, and I work 2nd shift, when it's only the robots and me (and a handful of production employees, but they aren't my problem.)

The best part is, the job is making accommodations for my health issues, and has gold-plated insurance. Horrible ancient man and advanced 6 axis robots. I'm gonna squee.

Nice! What kind of robots you got there? I'm training on Fanucs at school right now.

I once again have a job in my field. It comes out to the same amount as I made on the mountain, but I am only in charge of myself, and I work 2nd shift, when it's only the robots and me (and a handful of production employees, but they aren't my problem.)

The best part is, the job is making accommodations for my health issues, and has gold-plated insurance. Horrible ancient man and advanced 6 axis robots. I'm gonna squee.

Nice! What kind of robots you got there? I'm training on Fanucs at school right now.

Fanuc makes a good system. These are Keance. They are more or less the same, but the operating code is easier to modify, and they don't lose their points as often as Fanucs seem to.

I'm not qualified to answer that Nigel. If they need help then pointing that out is what friends do, on occasion it's the last act of the friendship.

Glad to hear Roger has worthy employment once more.

For my part been through several meetings and will be seeing a weekly councilor and am 2 days into a start up on a medicine called Rexulti.. I really wish I knew who gets paid to name these things and how much. Have an appointment to get assistance applying for disability benefits next week. Otherwise just getting by finding cleaning the dojo I live above somewhat soothing and a welcome distraction. They have wifi, a fridge, cooking gear, and exercise equipment all available to me for my simple services in cleaning the facilities. I'm getting by.

contrary to popular belief, bipolar people tend to commit suicide more often during the manic stage

There's a sapolsky lecture on depression that goes into that really well. Think it was to do with psychomotive retardation (sp?) And coming out of that phase is the big danger point. Still depressed but now enough energy to do something about it, often not in a good way.

contrary to popular belief, bipolar people tend to commit suicide more often during the manic stage

There's a sapolsky lecture on depression that goes into that really well. Think it was to do with psychomotive retardation (sp?) And coming out of that phase is the big danger point. Still depressed but now enough energy to do something about it, often not in a good way.

This is a big part of why suicide is considered a side effect of many antidepressants. There's a fatigue to knowing that shit will happen AGAIN. The manic phase is also when you're most likely to "snap" and act out violently towards others as well. Sometimes the compulsion to suicide is seen as a means prevent this or misguided means to "atone" after the fact. Sometimes a LONG time after the fact.

If you have an online friend and you are concerned that they might be bipolar, do you risk offending them and say something? Or let it be?

Online friend? Doubt if it'd make a difference one way or another. Unless they're asking you. Upswing or downswing?

Upswing. They didn't ask, or I would have just told them. It would be completely unsolicited and therefore potentially offensive.

Lot of variables I'm not aware of but in my experience, manic phase - it'll be in one ear and out the other. If it goes in at all. Usually the time to mention it to me would have been after the party but by then the damage is done. Tough call. You're Nigel. Go with your instincts.

If you have an online friend and you are concerned that they might be bipolar, do you risk offending them and say something? Or let it be?

Online friend? Doubt if it'd make a difference one way or another. Unless they're asking you. Upswing or downswing?

Upswing. They didn't ask, or I would have just told them. It would be completely unsolicited and therefore potentially offensive.

Lot of variables I'm not aware of but in my experience, manic phase - it'll be in one ear and out the other. If it goes in at all. Usually the time to mention it to me would have been after the party but by then the damage is done. Tough call. You're Nigel. Go with your instincts.

I think you're right about that... I don't think this is the time. I'll wait and see; if I'm right, the time will come on the downswing. Thank you!

Stang's definitely got a certain amount of style when it comes to delivery, and you definitely have the content. Everyone wins

Thanks.

Been meaning to talk at you, Cain. I've recently been keeping bad company, mostly for cash. Strategic forecast geeks in the local private sector (unnamed, but you know where I am so you know who I'm talking about) So what they're interested in is what I call "Lazarus Bugs". Imagine you had a bunch of little tags of whatever, attached to objects or people of interest, but totally inert. Composite structures, no electrical signal higher than that of a human body, etc. The tags just sit there, kept powered by a tiny kinetic energy recovery system, but totally dormant.

Until they receive a signal. Radio works, but it requires the system to be able to actively listen for it, right? I mean, a powered receiver. Gives the game away.

But a particular frequency of sound could activate one, by high frequency noise "agitating" it, by bridging or breaking a dielectric membrane inside the tag, allowing the stored KERS power to reach the operational portion of the tag. Tag wakes up/turns active, and then...Does whatever it was designed to do. Track location. Listen in on conversations and upload when in range of a wifi signal. Embed polonium or VX or some other nastiness into skin. Fall off with a few skin cells, for later collection. Whatever.

Hell, it also occurs to me that you could make more advanced versions that people would unknowingly eat with their food. A little extra spice in the curry, so to speak. Or put into their electronic devices, that would render them useless or activate a spyware routine. Shit, it's laughs all the way down with this little beastie.

Anyway, these buttholes love this idea, and so of course it occurs to me that a (non-paid) priority would be to find a method of killing these tags. You can't take control of them because they're stupid. They either activate or they don't, and they only have one response to exactly one stimuli. They're composite-bodied, so you can't fish them out electrically or magnetically. They're visible to the naked eye (a bit smaller than a tick, probably, but who knows? Smaller, even...or way bigger), but there would be bags of them. You could EMP the little fuckers, but it turns out that EMP is a not so non-lethal tool to use around people.

So I'm kinda stumped here, and I think a people solution would be more effective than an engineering solution.

Something that small...it'd be hard to counter, no way about it. Preventative measures would be the best, but they'd be extreme and out of the range of most ordinary people - securing food supplies and preparation, air filtration, wearing gloves in uncontrolled enrivonments, avoiding crowds of people, undertaking basic counter-surveillance methods such as shopping at different stores, going at odd hours, never taking the same routes twice, using multiple dropoffs for deliveries etc. It'd be arduous and costly, and not guaranteed to work, just to raise the opportunity cost of infection.

And anyone important enough to do this to will have a ton of people who aren't so important but still in close contact near them, so if the aim is surveillance then it's still not surefire. Not to mention you can use these as blackmail on people close to those people in order to have them do what you want, from surveillance to assassination. Not as easy, more risk of discovery, but the opportunity cost is still lower than traditional methods. Thinking on it, a Faraday Cage would, in theory, block surveillance attempts, and potentially activation (depending on type), but you can't live your life in a Faraday Cage. Still, for circumventing attempts to listen in, it could be handy.

From what I can see, once they're in, it's game over. Without some technological fix, some form of screening and way to ensure the damn thing stays off without EMPing it, you have to prevent that state from occuring in the first place.

Something that small...it'd be hard to counter, no way about it. Preventative measures would be the best, but they'd be extreme and out of the range of most ordinary people - securing food supplies and preparation, air filtration, wearing gloves in uncontrolled enrivonments, avoiding crowds of people, undertaking basic counter-surveillance methods such as shopping at different stores, going at odd hours, never taking the same routes twice, using multiple dropoffs for deliveries etc. It'd be arduous and costly, and not guaranteed to work, just to raise the opportunity cost of infection.

And anyone important enough to do this to will have a ton of people who aren't so important but still in close contact near them, so if the aim is surveillance then it's still not surefire. Not to mention you can use these as blackmail on people close to those people in order to have them do what you want, from surveillance to assassination. Not as easy, more risk of discovery, but the opportunity cost is still lower than traditional methods. Thinking on it, a Faraday Cage would, in theory, block surveillance attempts, and potentially activation (depending on type), but you can't live your life in a Faraday Cage. Still, for circumventing attempts to listen in, it could be handy.

From what I can see, once they're in, it's game over. Without some technological fix, some form of screening and way to ensure the damn thing stays off without EMPing it, you have to prevent that state from occuring in the first place.

Um. Well.

No sense crying over spilled milk. (No idea if they're doing anything with it, but I was paid for the basic idea and the bare bones methodology, ie, the KERS coupled with the dielectric membrane.)

And a Faraday cage wouldn't prevent activation (unless it also had some sound baffling around it), but it would prevent any broadcasts.

Yeah, there's a certain point you get to with technology where there's simply nothing you can do about it without better technology to counteract it. Maybe some form of nanobot that aggresively hunts down inert, non-bodily matter and breaks it down for excretion...I don't know, not my field of expertise.

It's literally like trying to avoid a virus - only this is an inert virus, being spread delibrately by human actors, which increases the difficulty factor several-fold. It's the nightmare biological terrorism/warfare scenario, only without the advantages of obvious symptoms, an adaptive virus and equally adaptive human immune system.

I would hope they have the sense to keep this kind of technology theoretical, but if anyone had thought 5 minutes about the nuclear bomb they would've kept that secret too. There's some things you just don't want to unleash until you can adequately defend yourself against it - but by the time you can do that, the absolute advantage you had was lost. And if humans are anything, we're short-term thinkers.

How well do they handle thermal exposure? It's not really a great option, and if they're internal or carrying neurotoxin it's not a realistic option, but having a minor scalding once a day might beat living by "Moscow rules" all of the time hoping to avoid exposure.

I find myself wondering if a laser detector like they use for checking pulse and blood O2 levels might be capable of finding the things in the blood stream. If so it might be possible to use a wide angle scanner of similar concept over food or beverage before consumption. Keeping them outside of the body as much as possible would be the priority... once in the gut or resting in the sinuses and lungs there's no amount of flushing that could get them out unless you had a solvent that will wreck them and somehow not also damage tissue too badly... and again if they're carrying a bit of death inside destroying the housing is just a premature trigger.

So... I guess we're living in a low-magic version of Shadowrun going forward. Great. :|

How well do they handle thermal exposure? It's not really a great option, and if they're internal or carrying neurotoxin it's not a realistic option, but having a minor scalding once a day might beat living by "Moscow rules" all of the time hoping to avoid exposure.

I find myself wondering if a laser detector like they use for checking pulse and blood O2 levels might be capable of finding the things in the blood stream. If so it might be possible to use a wide angle scanner of similar concept over food or beverage before consumption. Keeping them outside of the body as much as possible would be the priority... once in the gut or resting in the sinuses and lungs there's no amount of flushing that could get them out unless you had a solvent that will wreck them and somehow not also damage tissue too badly... and again if they're carrying a bit of death inside destroying the housing is just a premature trigger.

So... I guess we're living in a low-magic version of Shadowrun going forward. Great. :|

Are you scared of being run over by a driverless Uber?Are you scared of the police being able to listen to your cell phone?Do you still cling to the idea that a burner phone is anonymous?Do optical license readers bug you?Number 5 is alive. He's been alive since the turn of the century. Learn to love him.

How well do they handle thermal exposure? It's not really a great option, and if they're internal or carrying neurotoxin it's not a realistic option, but having a minor scalding once a day might beat living by "Moscow rules" all of the time hoping to avoid exposure.

I find myself wondering if a laser detector like they use for checking pulse and blood O2 levels might be capable of finding the things in the blood stream. If so it might be possible to use a wide angle scanner of similar concept over food or beverage before consumption. Keeping them outside of the body as much as possible would be the priority... once in the gut or resting in the sinuses and lungs there's no amount of flushing that could get them out unless you had a solvent that will wreck them and somehow not also damage tissue too badly... and again if they're carrying a bit of death inside destroying the housing is just a premature trigger.

So... I guess we're living in a low-magic version of Shadowrun going forward. Great. :|

AFAIK, these would be too large for the blood system.

For now...

Still that's conceptually easier to deal with. If they're about the size of a grain of black pepper they could still ride almost anywhere else. The idea of (I assume) infrasonic activation of a nanomachine is still upsetting and like you said almost impossible to detect short of literally going over someone with a fine tooth comb.

It could even be a sort of defense mechanism maybe. If they can be activated that way they might be able to set them for a sort of "double click" switch. Click 1 when in the sonic area, click 2 activating the tag when you leave the sonic area.

Your guards and authorized persons know not to go in THAT ROOM and the access code for authorized persons temporarily disables the sonic.

Everyone incidentally gets a dusting if they're in certain locations, even if only on clothes or shoes. Mostly this is harmless. If the sonics are still engaged the 1st "click" activates. Once the intruder leaves the area they light up like 4th of July for tracking and you get your audio feed straight to security as well... or possibly deploy a paralytic or worse so you can just go scoop them up.

Re: Lazarus Bug. Yea, they could cluster and form networks around sense organs. Activation could occur in proximity to any microwave signal that also serves to power them, given small-size/distribution. Otherwise, power kinetically via flexible piezo-electric diodes round joints...

And then... Seems like nothing to do about getting this particular computer to interface with forum correctly. Not catastrophic, just html'd php with no formatting. I figure that since Googlee images stopped working last month, this is probably permanent.Nothing more to report, will try to find my way back to the last thread, white sails and all.

Re: Lazarus Bug. Yea, they could cluster and form networks around sense organs. Activation could occur in proximity to any microwave signal that also serves to power them, given small-size/distribution. Otherwise, power kinetically via flexible piezo-electric diodes round joints...

That's the idea. Like turning the shaft of an electric motor to get power out of the leads.

BUT THAT'S NOT ACTUALLY LIBERTARIANISM, ALTY. AS A REAL SCOTSMAN, I OBJECT TO YOUR SLANDER.

:lulz: :lulz: :lulz:

This is their M.O. It's like they all take a class on how to not understand logical fallacies.And that one in particular, they just hammer into it as hard as possible, like being wrong is their endgame.

As some of you know Slaanesh has been missing from the eye of terror for some time now. His friend Nurgle called. :( He was found dead floating in a swimming pool, buck naked with a needle sticking out of his arm/tendril

In case folks missed the other thread, I am in the market for test readers. Requirements include a working printer, 72 sheets of paper, and time to go through 285 pages of nonsense (which does sound like a lot, but remember one of the pages literally just has the word "booger" on it).

In case folks missed the other thread, I am in the market for test readers. Requirements include a working printer, 72 sheets of paper, and time to go through 285 pages of nonsense (which does sound like a lot, but remember one of the pages literally just has the word "booger" on it).

I could probably bogart my work printer for that purpose, but the earliest opportunity would be Monday evening.

In case folks missed the other thread, I am in the market for test readers. Requirements include a working printer, 72 sheets of paper, and time to go through 285 pages of nonsense (which does sound like a lot, but remember one of the pages literally just has the word "booger" on it).

I could probably bogart my work printer for that purpose, but the earliest opportunity would be Monday evening.

PM for the google drive link if you're interested. I'm not on any deadline.

Tooth stuff is the worst, and if the codeine isn't working sounds like a dentist is waiting for you.

I have to wait for the infection to die down and then I will probably be able to function and handle leaving the house. that's on my to do list for the next week or so, though.

Keep an eye on your temperature. If you run any fever at all, you need antibiotics immediately. I don't mean "in the morning" immediately, but get your ass to an ER immediately even if it means calling an ambulance -- infected teeth can turn into meningitis shockingly rapidly.

So, apparently people in the company I support are so used to me telling them how to do their jobs, they've started asking for it. I am a Level 1.5 Service Desk agent, without any sort of degree, and only mildly relevant certifications, and System Administrators are asking me how to do their jobs.

I've found that the key is to write professionally, and as if you are the boss, or someone higher up. When you do, it's like they blatantly ignore your Position/Title noted in your Email signature. :lulz:

Although, this is likely only as effective as I make it sound because most of their IT department is incompetent. And the other part of their IT department is based in India, and doesn't have English as a first language, so they aren't nearly as confident in what they're saying and couldn't get anything done even if they tried.

Pro tip: If you want to work your way up in IT, look for a job for a Financial Firm. Their workers are all impatient, impulsive, and aggressive, and will let you do whatever you want in order to avoid talking about things they don't understand. All you have to do is sound confident and say technical jargon constantly.

Tooth stuff is the worst, and if the codeine isn't working sounds like a dentist is waiting for you.

I have to wait for the infection to die down and then I will probably be able to function and handle leaving the house. that's on my to do list for the next week or so, though.

Keep an eye on your temperature. If you run any fever at all, you need antibiotics immediately. I don't mean "in the morning" immediately, but get your ass to an ER immediately even if it means calling an ambulance -- infected teeth can turn into meningitis shockingly rapidly.

So, apparently people in the company I support are so used to me telling them how to do their jobs, they've started asking for it. I am a Level 1.5 Service Desk agent, without any sort of degree, and only mildly relevant certifications, and System Administrators are asking me how to do their jobs.

I've found that the key is to write professionally, and as if you are the boss, or someone higher up. When you do, it's like they blatantly ignore your Position/Title noted in your Email signature. :lulz:

Although, this is likely only as effective as I make it sound because most of their IT department is incompetent. And the other part of their IT department is based in India, and doesn't have English as a first language, so they aren't nearly as confident in what they're saying and couldn't get anything done even if they tried.

Pro tip: If you want to work your way up in IT, look for a job for a Financial Firm. Their workers are all impatient, impulsive, and aggressive, and will let you do whatever you want in order to avoid talking about things they don't understand. All you have to do is sound confident and say technical jargon constantly.

This is one of the core secrets in business. And a huge disadvantage to anyone who was unable to learn "traditional" (i.e. "white middle/upper class") communication skills. Privilege - it's sneaky.

So, apparently people in the company I support are so used to me telling them how to do their jobs, they've started asking for it. I am a Level 1.5 Service Desk agent, without any sort of degree, and only mildly relevant certifications, and System Administrators are asking me how to do their jobs.

I've found that the key is to write professionally, and as if you are the boss, or someone higher up. When you do, it's like they blatantly ignore your Position/Title noted in your Email signature. :lulz:

Although, this is likely only as effective as I make it sound because most of their IT department is incompetent. And the other part of their IT department is based in India, and doesn't have English as a first language, so they aren't nearly as confident in what they're saying and couldn't get anything done even if they tried.

Pro tip: If you want to work your way up in IT, look for a job for a Financial Firm. Their workers are all impatient, impulsive, and aggressive, and will let you do whatever you want in order to avoid talking about things they don't understand. All you have to do is sound confident and say technical jargon constantly.

This is one of the core secrets in business. And a huge disadvantage to anyone who was unable to learn "traditional" (i.e. "white middle/upper class") communication skills. Privilege - it's sneaky.

Yeah, I feel really bad for the India-based teams. They have the best manners and are incredibly knowledge-hungry, but that language barrier makes it impossible for the rest of the advantage to work itself out.

I never actually realized how important English class was to success until I started working in a professional environment. I'm considering going back to some of the schools I went to and giving talks that emphasize that fact. Especially to the underprivileged schools.

I know that when we had speakers come in and tell us about what made them successful in the real world, it was always influential and eye-opening. We all loved it and learned from it. I would hope that if the kids learned anything, it would be that Language Arts is the most effective way to hold people's attention and convince people of your worth in a professional environment. If you can bullshit with confidence, you can run the world. And the cool part is, you can use current politics as an example, and most of the kids, regardless of age, would know what you're talking about.

Start the robotics job on Monday, or go to work full-time for the NGO for whom I've been doing bits and pieces? They have just taken over the running of a research facility on the other side of town, and they want me running the facilities.

I'm leaning toward the NGO, for multiple reasons, not least of which is I can see my old job from there, and I can watch it rot away due to Lilly's abject failure.

Start the robotics job on Monday, or go to work full-time for the NGO for whom I've been doing bits and pieces? They have just taken over the running of a research facility on the other side of town, and they want me running the facilities.

I'm leaning toward the NGO, for multiple reasons, not least of which is I can see my old job from there, and I can watch it rot away due to Lilly's abject failure.

If both are sufficient and equivalent in compensation then I guess the question is which will be most tolerable to you day after day? All thoughts of wat hing others rot aside because that's only a temporary joy which is in and of itself something that you want to be doing?

Start the robotics job on Monday, or go to work full-time for the NGO for whom I've been doing bits and pieces? They have just taken over the running of a research facility on the other side of town, and they want me running the facilities.

I'm leaning toward the NGO, for multiple reasons, not least of which is I can see my old job from there, and I can watch it rot away due to Lilly's abject failure.

If both are sufficient and equivalent in compensation then I guess the question is which will be most tolerable to you day after day? All thoughts of wat hing others rot aside because that's only a temporary joy which is in and of itself something that you want to be doing?

The NGO is more money, but nothing new to learn. But it is going to be a rolling disaster for a while, as the previous owners cheaped out on the water plant and other infrastructure.

Start the robotics job on Monday, or go to work full-time for the NGO for whom I've been doing bits and pieces? They have just taken over the running of a research facility on the other side of town, and they want me running the facilities.

I'm leaning toward the NGO, for multiple reasons, not least of which is I can see my old job from there, and I can watch it rot away due to Lilly's abject failure.

If both are sufficient and equivalent in compensation then I guess the question is which will be most tolerable to you day after day? All thoughts of wat hing others rot aside because that's only a temporary joy which is in and of itself something that you want to be doing?

The NGO is more money, but nothing new to learn. But it is going to be a rolling disaster for a while, as the previous owners cheaped out on the water plant and other infrastructure.

So, apparently people in the company I support are so used to me telling them how to do their jobs, they've started asking for it. I am a Level 1.5 Service Desk agent, without any sort of degree, and only mildly relevant certifications, and System Administrators are asking me how to do their jobs.

I've found that the key is to write professionally, and as if you are the boss, or someone higher up. When you do, it's like they blatantly ignore your Position/Title noted in your Email signature. :lulz:

Although, this is likely only as effective as I make it sound because most of their IT department is incompetent. And the other part of their IT department is based in India, and doesn't have English as a first language, so they aren't nearly as confident in what they're saying and couldn't get anything done even if they tried.

Pro tip: If you want to work your way up in IT, look for a job for a Financial Firm. Their workers are all impatient, impulsive, and aggressive, and will let you do whatever you want in order to avoid talking about things they don't understand. All you have to do is sound confident and say technical jargon constantly.

This is one of the core secrets in business. And a huge disadvantage to anyone who was unable to learn "traditional" (i.e. "white middle/upper class") communication skills. Privilege - it's sneaky.

Yeah, I feel really bad for the India-based teams. They have the best manners and are incredibly knowledge-hungry, but that language barrier makes it impossible for the rest of the advantage to work itself out.

I never actually realized how important English class was to success until I started working in a professional environment. I'm considering going back to some of the schools I went to and giving talks that emphasize that fact. Especially to the underprivileged schools.

I know that when we had speakers come in and tell us about what made them successful in the real world, it was always influential and eye-opening. We all loved it and learned from it. I would hope that if the kids learned anything, it would be that Language Arts is the most effective way to hold people's attention and convince people of your worth in a professional environment. If you can bullshit with confidence, you can run the world. And the cool part is, you can use current politics as an example, and most of the kids, regardless of age, would know what you're talking about.

Very true. I think this is one of the reasons you so often find English majors in management positions.

I decided to try a new brand of boots, since my non-waterproof Frye field boots didn't work out quite so well in Manitoba (when I bought them, and it was a killer deal so no regrets, but I wasn't totally anticipating my "field" to be an abandoned gravel mine an hour north of Winnipeg). So I spot these Ad-Tec boots on sale for about $60, and I figured I'd go for it. They arrived yesterday, and today was my first full day in them... I think they're gonna work out just fine. Nice thick top-grain leather, very deeply lugged soles, decent padding. I can see where they cut corners to keep them cheap, since they're unlined and the welt is plastic rather than leather, but if these last a couple of field seasons in the snake mines, I might just have a new favorite field boot.

Tooth stuff is the worst, and if the codeine isn't working sounds like a dentist is waiting for you.

I have to wait for the infection to die down and then I will probably be able to function and handle leaving the house. that's on my to do list for the next week or so, though.

Keep an eye on your temperature. If you run any fever at all, you need antibiotics immediately. I don't mean "in the morning" immediately, but get your ass to an ER immediately even if it means calling an ambulance -- infected teeth can turn into meningitis shockingly rapidly.

Oh yeah, I've been taking them. It's already helping, and I feel basically almost normal. I'm not gonna stop taking them because I am not the dumb and know I have to take the whole series, though. :)

I decided to try a new brand of boots, since my non-waterproof Frye field boots didn't work out quite so well in Manitoba (when I bought them, and it was a killer deal so no regrets, but I wasn't totally anticipating my "field" to be an abandoned gravel mine an hour north of Winnipeg). So I spot these Ad-Tec boots on sale for about $60, and I figured I'd go for it. They arrived yesterday, and today was my first full day in them... I think they're gonna work out just fine. Nice thick top-grain leather, very deeply lugged soles, decent padding. I can see where they cut corners to keep them cheap, since they're unlined and the welt is plastic rather than leather, but if these last a couple of field seasons in the snake mines, I might just have a new favorite field boot.

Tooth stuff is the worst, and if the codeine isn't working sounds like a dentist is waiting for you.

I have to wait for the infection to die down and then I will probably be able to function and handle leaving the house. that's on my to do list for the next week or so, though.

Keep an eye on your temperature. If you run any fever at all, you need antibiotics immediately. I don't mean "in the morning" immediately, but get your ass to an ER immediately even if it means calling an ambulance -- infected teeth can turn into meningitis shockingly rapidly.

Oh yeah, I've been taking them. It's already helping, and I feel basically almost normal. I'm not gonna stop taking them because I am not the dumb and know I have to take the whole series, though. :)

I'm gonna quit smoking pot after I finish my meager stash this weekend. I'm a candidate for a promotion to a managerial spot at my current job, which would maybe be enough money to convince me to stick around, but I'm unlikely to get the spot as a first-time candidate in a company where there are going to be long-time employees fighting tooth and nail for the position. But one of my old AUTEC buddies from the Phoenix days works for a company that does long-distance ocean tug runs to Alaska and Honolulu. Said company just happens to be based in my city. I already have a current TWIC card so I just need to pass a piss test, get a sea time letter from my old captain, and fill out some forms and pay some fees and get my MMC as an A/B. I'd basically be doubling my income immediately and it's a union gig (IBU - awesome union) so the benefits are as good or better than my current amazing benefits package.

Downside, of course, is being out at sea for a month+ at a time away from my kid. But she's young enough that this will just be normal to her pretty quickly and when I'm home for a month I'll be able to spend all the time with her. And be able to pay for daycare. And eventually a good school, since that'll be a thing by then. And a house with a yard.

And I'll get to cook whatever I want with an essentially unlimited food budget. And nobody is more appreciative of good food than sailors. Sounds like I'd mostly just be cooking during transits and maybe standing the occasional watch once they're convinced I'm not a total fuck-up, but I'd have to do deckwork when we're in port loading and unloading cargo. That's actually awesome because under the union contract, any time spent working with cargo on deck is an extra $20 an hour on top of whatever your day rate is.

Their work schedule starts really picking up in May and June so I'm gonna make sure I can pee clean by early May with an eye towards getting to the USCG Rec Center before Memorial Day weekend to finish the process and be ready to ship out at the start of June when my daughter's mom will be done with school for the summer.

My mother blocked me on FB after she blew up my phone about wanting me to give her a reason why I didn't want the family to visit because it's evidently an affront to god that I didn't immediately respond to her.

Opened the fuel center this morning. Was counting the money from the day before. found some counterfeit hundreds. Called management, they came and confirmed they were counterfeit, and took them back to the store with them. Went back to counting money, found more... a lot more. Looks like an inside job. Only 3 people worked the day before: the lead who has been a trusted employee for over 30 years, me, and the new guy, who closed that night. All the dirty drops were his. His first drop of the day was a bag with 25 identical $20 bills, all with the same serial number, made during the 20 minutes that I was out on a break which I took as soon as he came in.

He was supposed to close tonight, but called out.

ETA:

While filling out the date on the deposit slip for what was left of real money, I realized all of this had happened on April 1st.

I'm gonna quit smoking pot after I finish my meager stash this weekend. I'm a candidate for a promotion to a managerial spot at my current job, which would maybe be enough money to convince me to stick around, but I'm unlikely to get the spot as a first-time candidate in a company where there are going to be long-time employees fighting tooth and nail for the position. But one of my old AUTEC buddies from the Phoenix days works for a company that does long-distance ocean tug runs to Alaska and Honolulu. Said company just happens to be based in my city. I already have a current TWIC card so I just need to pass a piss test, get a sea time letter from my old captain, and fill out some forms and pay some fees and get my MMC as an A/B. I'd basically be doubling my income immediately and it's a union gig (IBU - awesome union) so the benefits are as good or better than my current amazing benefits package.

Downside, of course, is being out at sea for a month+ at a time away from my kid. But she's young enough that this will just be normal to her pretty quickly and when I'm home for a month I'll be able to spend all the time with her. And be able to pay for daycare. And eventually a good school, since that'll be a thing by then. And a house with a yard.

And I'll get to cook whatever I want with an essentially unlimited food budget. And nobody is more appreciative of good food than sailors. Sounds like I'd mostly just be cooking during transits and maybe standing the occasional watch once they're convinced I'm not a total fuck-up, but I'd have to do deckwork when we're in port loading and unloading cargo. That's actually awesome because under the union contract, any time spent working with cargo on deck is an extra $20 an hour on top of whatever your day rate is.

Their work schedule starts really picking up in May and June so I'm gonna make sure I can pee clean by early May with an eye towards getting to the USCG Rec Center before Memorial Day weekend to finish the process and be ready to ship out at the start of June when my daughter's mom will be done with school for the summer.

This sounds like a good plan... it'll suck missing your kid for chunks of time, but to be able to provide financial security and a permanent home will be so so worth it.

Opened the fuel center this morning. Was counting the money from the day before. found some counterfeit hundreds. Called management, they came and confirmed they were counterfeit, and took them back to the store with them. Went back to counting money, found more... a lot more. Looks like an inside job. Only 3 people worked the day before: the lead who has been a trusted employee for over 30 years, me, and the new guy, who closed that night. All the dirty drops were his. His first drop of the day was a bag with 25 identical $20 bills, all with the same serial number, made during the 20 minutes that I was out on a break which I took as soon as he came in.

He was supposed to close tonight, but called out.

ETA:

While filling out the date on the deposit slip for what was left of real money, I realized all of this had happened on April 1st.

:horrormirth:

Wow

If he didn't get hired using a fake ID and SS# he is so going to prison.

We spent the weekend gardening our hearts out, building planter boxes and moving raspberries and putting in tiny wee shrubberies and burning scrap wood. One of the new neighbors in the townhomes decided to stick his head out the window and question whether we were supposed to have a fire going, and not-so-subtly threatened to call the cops -- "I'm not sure if there are ordinances..." -- but shut up when I told him that I had the fire department come out and verify placement of my firepit when I put it in. What I should have let him know is that there ARE ordinances regarding peeping. We fully intend to spend most of the summer naked in our back yard, and if the old coot has a problem with that he can suck it. I hope it gives him a stroke.

So now we have two sets of nosy neighbors. Next on the list: a camellia and some columnar holly trees or arborvitae to block their stupid nosy views.

Nonsense spread by msm and reptoids. Full evidence coming over the next week, will prove all our phones are tapped by sick people. You know who I mean. Bad! It's worse than that event. Terrible! Still no vivisection on Roger, need credible explanation! Mad!

Forum's half-working again for me, toxicity levels back to near diabolical. Got the formatting back, just can't see any profile pics no more. Fine with me, and, apologies for the temporary loss of stature that occurred pendant my absence. I make a point of reputation, serious business that is.

Forum's half-working again for me, toxicity levels back to near diabolical. Got the formatting back, just can't see any profile pics no more. Fine with me, and, apologies for the temporary loss of stature that occurred pendant my absence. I make a point of reputation, serious business that is.

That... shouldnt be happening, what url are you using for the site?Could you try https://www.principiadiscordia.com/forum/index.php and if that doesn't work could you try view on private browsing and see if it still has the same problem?

Apparently have a new specific project with the law company/private intelligence company I'm working for. So far I've just been doing bit pieces of analysis relating to our overall corporate interests as and when the whim has struck me, but now they want me working on something. Involving, of course, the Balkans and organised crime.

Well at least it's more interesting than listening to the whining of children, or the whining of management at the other job. Incidentally, I had a horrifying realisation the other day. I've finally realised why, apart from the fact it's just pretty mediocre on every level, I've not been enjoying Mass Effect Andromeda. Tann and Addison, the director of the Initiative and director of Colonial Affairs, remind me too much of management here, the backstabbing, the incompetence, the political games...and just like in real life, there is no option to throw them out an airlock in the game.

Hi there Faust, I tried the https, and then could not input reply. As for private browsing, the logs may show me using safari or whatever, but it's not really, no private browsing option. Just pathologically high levels of compartmentalization right here... Anyone know what this "BAIL" lever does in the airlock?

So, I just got the email this morning. I start for the NGO on Monday. Well, technically, for one of the masters of the NGO, a big multinational. But I give the results of my work to the NGO, and they decide if I'm still getting a cheque, so it's mostly the same thing.

I will be - in name - running the infrastructure of a research facility. Roads, sewers, water, electrical, even landscaping and janitorial (their electrical comes in from offsite at 13.8k and gets distributed. Their water is well water and catchments. Their sanitation is processed on site. It's a big joint. While I will be doing that, what I am actually supposed to be doing is finding out how water and sanitation systems can fail.

So, I just got the email this morning. I start for the NGO on Monday. Well, technically, for one of the masters of the NGO, a big multinational. But I give the results of my work to the NGO, and they decide if I'm still getting a cheque, so it's mostly the same thing.

I will be - in name - running the infrastructure of a research facility. Roads, sewers, water, electrical, even landscaping and janitorial (their electrical comes in from offsite at 13.8k and gets distributed. Their water is well water and catchments. Their sanitation is processed on site. It's a big joint. While I will be doing that, what I am actually supposed to be doing is finding out how water and sanitation systems can fail.

I basically have a job studying DOOM. :lulz:

How many scenarios can you come up with that involve "infrastructure eaten by wildlife" ?

So, I just got the email this morning. I start for the NGO on Monday. Well, technically, for one of the masters of the NGO, a big multinational. But I give the results of my work to the NGO, and they decide if I'm still getting a cheque, so it's mostly the same thing.

I will be - in name - running the infrastructure of a research facility. Roads, sewers, water, electrical, even landscaping and janitorial (their electrical comes in from offsite at 13.8k and gets distributed. Their water is well water and catchments. Their sanitation is processed on site. It's a big joint. While I will be doing that, what I am actually supposed to be doing is finding out how water and sanitation systems can fail.

I basically have a job studying DOOM. :lulz:

How many scenarios can you come up with that involve "infrastructure eaten by wildlife" ?

Apparently, this position is "business casual", which is to say "not casual at all".

Off to buy human clothes.

Dress for the job you want. *Looks at own avatar in horrific shame*

In other news found a beer cheaper than Old Milwaukee on sale! $10 30 Pk of Hamm's

... gonna get Hammered.

They still make that horrible shit?

Yup. It's not as bad as some things, but almost impossible to drink enough to get really drunk on due to the frothy tase of hops and shame. In fairness I wasn't drinking it alone, and have about 19 left, but it's like I'd need to really COMMIT to the deed to down enough to get properly hammered. I did get a pleasant evening's conversation but that had more to do with the company than the beverage choice.

Maybe this weekend I'll really put some away. It's almost like the beer equivalent of self shaming, but not even having the decency to be truly unpleasant to imbibe in the way that say Steel Reserve or even Old English would be. It's painfully plain. We'll see how the hangover treats me, but I'm not expecting anything worth writing home about.

Yup. It's not as bad as some things, but almost impossible to drink enough to get really drunk on due to the frothy tase of hops and shame. In fairness I wasn't drinking it alone, and have about 19 left, but it's like I'd need to really COMMIT to the deed to down enough to get properly hammered. I did get a pleasant evening's conversation but that had more to do with the company than the beverage choice.

Maybe this weekend I'll really put some away. It's almost like the beer equivalent of self shaming, but not even having the decency to be truly unpleasant to imbibe in the way that say Steel Reserve or even Old English would be. It's painfully plain. We'll see how the hangover treats me, but I'm not expecting anything worth writing home about.

Have you tried the Steel Reserve "Alloy Series" drinks, yet? 16 oz @ 8%. Beer store by my house has them for $.99.

I like the purple one. Goes well with Spaghetti-Os and Beanie weenies from the Dollar General next door.

Yup. It's not as bad as some things, but almost impossible to drink enough to get really drunk on due to the frothy tase of hops and shame. In fairness I wasn't drinking it alone, and have about 19 left, but it's like I'd need to really COMMIT to the deed to down enough to get properly hammered. I did get a pleasant evening's conversation but that had more to do with the company than the beverage choice.

Maybe this weekend I'll really put some away. It's almost like the beer equivalent of self shaming, but not even having the decency to be truly unpleasant to imbibe in the way that say Steel Reserve or even Old English would be. It's painfully plain. We'll see how the hangover treats me, but I'm not expecting anything worth writing home about.

Have you tried the Steel Reserve "Alloy Series" drinks, yet? 16 oz @ 8%. Beer store by my house has them for $.99.

I like the purple one. Goes well with Spaghetti-Os and Beanie weenies from the Dollar General next door.

I've never seen it in Wisconsin. You can get a 4loko for about two bucks, and a 24 od redd's wicked ale for 2.50 per at 8%.

Even my hangover is disappointing. But at .33 cents per can on sale I don't have much complaint coming.

I spotted a "gold" 4loko flavor in the walk-in beer cooler at the grocery store. I was tempted, but upon seeing the 30pk for $10 I knew where the Hand of Fate was leading me... to a bland mediocrity. Cheap!

Addendum: About two ounces of pineapple lemonade with a Hamm's poured unceremoniously into it to remove the excess carbonation tastes exactly like a Leinenkugel's "Summer Shandy"... which is something. Not sure if a good something.

Had a chat with the new boss. It's jeans, polo shirts, and jeans. So the same as before, with a collar. :lulz:

My new boss is adorable. She's just like Jim...including calling me at 8PM on a Friday night from the office to go over a few things. This bodes well, actually. I'm hourly (at least for 90 days), and I can seriously use the cash, as my reserves are pretty damn low, as all I've done for the last 4 months is piece-work consulting.

She is also like Jim in that she worries an awful lot, but seems to be able to pull cash from the corporate overlords in sufficient amounts. And ALSO like Jim in that I am the dude writing the budget. This is in fact starting to look like the glory days at SASOL, with less exploding equipment, but far harsher penalties for failure (ie, water, sewers, etc not working for a massive research facility. 300 acres of exploding toilets seems to be the worst possible outcome, but I've been wrong before.)

Addendum: About two ounces of pineapple lemonade with a Hamm's poured unceremoniously into it to remove the excess carbonation tastes exactly like a Leinenkugel's "Summer Shandy"... which is something. Not sure if a good something.

I used to drink Hamms and orange juice, AKA "Hamosas". Pretty damn decent. Then I discovered Rainier grapefruit shandy, and here we are today.

Yesterday I got to open up the abdomen of our cadaver, and clean the fat off a kidney. It was pretty damn cool! I particularly enjoyed the scalpel work, as there is some undefinable pleasure in making a careful, clean incision that cuts only the layer you want to cut. It's like... flying, but with a knife.

Yesterday I got to open up the abdomen of our cadaver, and clean the fat off a kidney. It was pretty damn cool! I particularly enjoyed the scalpel work, as there is some undefinable pleasure in making a careful, clean incision that cuts only the layer you want to cut. It's like... flying, but with a knife.

I know exactly what you mean. I get that feeling from microscopic high precision electronics work but I first felt it in high school during a fetal pig dissection. It so happened that I only had to share it with one other person and we were graded on a worksheet that was easily filled out leaving us to do as we pleased. We managed to remove its brain and brainstem in pristine condition and present it to the lab teacher who was... not enthusiastic about the dissection lab in the first place. The look on his face not just at the brain but our GRINs was worth all of the effort many fold!

So we got kittens, right, two of them. They are adorable and me and the boy both love them. However, the boy is interested mostly in doing whatever entertains him, and I've had to discuss how cats need respect and gentleness even more than dogs do, because they're slightly more likely to bite and scratch and they won't like being abused. Today I found the boy had put my kitten in a tall laundry hamper and put a puzzle flannel over it so he couldn't get out. I grounded him to his room for the rest of today.

I've been really trying to never resort to the "Because I said so," reasoning that my folks used on me to explain why it's fair to ground him, and explain what isn't fair (torment the cats, disrespect boundaries, so on and so forth), but he still doesn't get it and I'm so :argh!:

Yesterday I got to open up the abdomen of our cadaver, and clean the fat off a kidney. It was pretty damn cool! I particularly enjoyed the scalpel work, as there is some undefinable pleasure in making a careful, clean incision that cuts only the layer you want to cut. It's like... flying, but with a knife.

I know exactly what you mean. I get that feeling from microscopic high precision electronics work but I first felt it in high school during a fetal pig dissection. It so happened that I only had to share it with one other person and we were graded on a worksheet that was easily filled out leaving us to do as we pleased. We managed to remove its brain and brainstem in pristine condition and present it to the lab teacher who was... not enthusiastic about the dissection lab in the first place. The look on his face not just at the brain but our GRINs was worth all of the effort many fold!

Yesterday I got to open up the abdomen of our cadaver, and clean the fat off a kidney. It was pretty damn cool! I particularly enjoyed the scalpel work, as there is some undefinable pleasure in making a careful, clean incision that cuts only the layer you want to cut. It's like... flying, but with a knife.

I know exactly what you mean. I get that feeling from microscopic high precision electronics work but I first felt it in high school during a fetal pig dissection. It so happened that I only had to share it with one other person and we were graded on a worksheet that was easily filled out leaving us to do as we pleased. We managed to remove its brain and brainstem in pristine condition and present it to the lab teacher who was... not enthusiastic about the dissection lab in the first place. The look on his face not just at the brain but our GRINs was worth all of the effort many fold!

I wasn't pretty, but the scalpels we had were brand new and I had a pretty good idea of how far down around the skull to cut. As I recall my partner was the one that suggested a lateral incision into the spinal chord at the base of the skull before I tried turning it over to remove the thing. She saved the project. It was preserved in a fluid that had shrunk most of the other organs as well as the brain so there was a little bit of wiggle room between the brain case and the brain itself if I recall correctly. We were just supposed to open the abdomen and ribcage an play "what's this bit" and fill out a very simple sheet pretty much designed to make actual cutting unnecessary for the squeamish kids. We were just not the squeamish kids at all. It was supposed to be groups of 4 and nobody wanted us so we got a pig to share. Her name was Shawna and shit I haven't thought about this in nearly two decades.

You have been issued a Roger penalty notice. The fine for ambiguous compliments can be paid to the usual man under the bridge at 2 to 3am every third Thursday and is sue in full by tomorrow. Failure to pay promptly will result in Roger cooking you (1) meal in (your/it's) kitchen.

I wasn't pretty, but the scalpels we had were brand new and I had a pretty good idea of how far down around the skull to cut.

Man, sometimes you are just fucking terrifying

I've spent my adult life downplaying that as best as I can. Sorry. I've been talking to my councilor with a candor that I haven't even had with close personal friends. Seen her stiffen up a few times when I get into my past or describe my less savory thoughts like how I might have gone about ending myself and why. She seems to believe that I suffer from acute PTSD and maybe clinical "personality disorder." I don't know. I'm trying to avoid self diagnosis and just work with the good folks at the county.

That's a typo though. Should be "It wasn't pretty". I can see how reading that as is was a twist.

You have been issued a Roger penalty notice. The fine for ambiguous compliments can be paid to the usual man under the bridge at 2 to 3am every third Thursday and is sue in full by tomorrow. Failure to pay promptly will result in Roger cooking you (1) meal in (your/it's) kitchen.

You have been issued a Roger penalty notice. The fine for ambiguous compliments can be paid to the usual man under the bridge at 2 to 3am every third Thursday and is sue in full by tomorrow. Failure to pay promptly will result in Roger cooking you (1) meal in (your/it's) kitchen.

Would you say it's a fine meal?

You have been issued an RWHN penalty notice. You will suffer an ill fitting suit within (30) Days or RWHN will explain nothing to you for (4) weeks despite being obviously wrong.

This penalty can be disputed at the Go Fuck Yourself department which tends to answer enquiries within 36 months or cause your untimely demise.

You have been issued a Roger penalty notice. The fine for ambiguous compliments can be paid to the usual man under the bridge at 2 to 3am every third Thursday and is sue in full by tomorrow. Failure to pay promptly will result in Roger cooking you (1) meal in (your/it's) kitchen.

Would you say it's a fine meal?

You have been issued an RWHN penalty notice. You will suffer an ill fitting suit within (30) Days or RWHN will explain nothing to you for (4) weeks despite being obviously wrong.

This penalty can be disputed at the Go Fuck Yourself department which tends to answer enquiries within 36 months or cause your untimely demise.

I... I understand. It's best for everyone this way. I think closest active volcano without needing a passport is in Hawaii. I'll report there immediately. I should have heeded the clearly posted signage.

So we got kittens, right, two of them. They are adorable and me and the boy both love them. However, the boy is interested mostly in doing whatever entertains him, and I've had to discuss how cats need respect and gentleness even more than dogs do, because they're slightly more likely to bite and scratch and they won't like being abused. Today I found the boy had put my kitten in a tall laundry hamper and put a puzzle flannel over it so he couldn't get out. I grounded him to his room for the rest of today.

I've been really trying to never resort to the "Because I said so," reasoning that my folks used on me to explain why it's fair to ground him, and explain what isn't fair (torment the cats, disrespect boundaries, so on and so forth), but he still doesn't get it and I'm so :argh!:

First world problems, right?

That's hard. How old is he now? Sometimes it just takes a few years for empathy to develop.